The American democracy machine is bogged down as the US superiority over other countries is a thing of the past.
The foreign policy ideas of the 78-year-old Democrat Joe Biden, who occupied the White House, look like an old man’s nostalgia for better times, writes The Washington Post. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the US President bravely promised “the triumph of democracy” in a world where Russia and China are strengthening their positions while America is methodically retreating on all fronts.
“This could have been a legitimate policy decades ago, when the wealth of the United States outnumbered the wealth of the Soviet Union and China. Or in 1999, before the rise of China, when the debilitating wars in the Middle East or the deep aftermath of the financial crisis were felt. But today it is an unreasonable policy”, – the article says.
Biden’s ambitions, as the publication emphasize, ignore one sad fact: for the first time since the 19th century, the United States is not the largest economy in the world. In many ways, China has long overtaken America, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, if before the United States could afford to attack in foreign policy, now the country is entering the stage of defense, fighting off challenges associated with Russia, Iran, North Korea, a pandemic, economic recovery and a domestic political crisis.
In such circumstances, Washington should abandon the ultimatums and coercion that have been actively used by the American elite for many years. If this practice continues, the States will drive themselves into isolation when they desperately need foreign trade and investment abroad that contribute to national prosperity.
“Strong electorates on both left and right are tired and frustrated by the assertion that US foreign policy should ensure the success of democracy around the world. The global, muscular liberalism of both sides has clearly failed to provide the strength and shared prosperity that would enable us to shape our future on our own terms”, – writes WP.