[INSIGHT] Strategic challenges for US: Democracy and Indo-Pacific

Rizal Sukma

PREMIUM

Jakarta / Tue, January 12, 2021 / 12:08 am

[INSIGHT] Strategic challenges for US: Democracy and Indo-Pacific

US President-elect Joe Biden. (Reuters/Leah Milis)

As the United States Congress finally confirmed Joe Biden as the 46th president amid chaos and violence on Capitol
Hill last week, one question comes to mind: Will the US show greater humility in managing its foreign relations? Will the US abandon its exceptionalism and begin to engage other nations in a normal way? President-elect Biden promises to “restore dignified leadership at home and respected leadership on the world stage”. He has also promised that “the United States must lead not just with the example of power, but the power of our example”. These are noble objectives indeed. Yet, in light of what the US has become, the challenges it faces in the international arena are enormous. The first challenge goes to the core issue: the domestic foundation of foreign policy. As Richard Haas of the Council on Foreign Relations has argued, foreign po...