Joe Biden was inaugurated on Wednesday as the 46th President of United States promising to be the president of all Americans, those who voted for him and those who did not. In his inaugural speech, the new US president understandably dwelt most on domestic issues, such as the fight against deadly coronavirus pandemic, unemployment, racial inequities and tensions, and extremism and violence, while also promising to repair America’s image abroad. He pledged that the US will seek to lead "not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
Moments earlier, Kamala Harris had been sworn in as US vice president, the first woman, African-American and Asian-American to occupy the office.
The new US administration has fuelled hope and optimism in America and among its allies abroad given that outgoing President Donald Trump’s government promoted controversial polices at home and undermined multilateral frameworks abroad.
But make no mistake; while Trump may have relentlessly promoted his ‘America-First’ agenda, every US president is sworn to preserve and protect American interests above all else. Biden’s America will not be returning to the international fold without putting its interest above all else.
When Barack Obama first became the first African-American to be elected US president in 2008, Africa erupted into celebrations so much you would think he was the answer to Africa’s problems. In the end, and rightly so, Obama served his two terms in the White House as American president and nothing else.
In addition, global challenges can only be addressed through international cooperation. No single leader or country can fix our world. Yes, under Biden, the US will re-join the Paris climate framework and the World Health Organization, among other international arrangements abandoned by Trump, but this will not be a silver bullet to the world’s problems. From public health challenges to climate change and terrorism, every country will need to play its role if the world is to overcome the challenges it faces. More so, at a time of historic crises.
Away from global challenges, there are important lessons to be learned from recent events in the US. One of them is that there is no political system or form of governance that is perfect. For a while now, we’ve known that western democracy has its own shortcomings. For instance, both Americans and Europeans have had to contend with the challenges associated with populism in recent years, and in the case of the US, President Biden looks keen to help narrow the divide by reaching out to the other side of the aisle.
As it turns out, it’s incumbent upon every country to determine the best form of government that serves them best. For Rwanda, our choice has been power-sharing and consensual – rather than confrontational – politics, unity of purpose and pro-people leadership. Indeed, in matters of organising society, one size fits all doesn’t always fit everyone.