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View all search resultsIndonesia not holding its breath as US welcomes new government
The United States will swear in president-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday at a time of waning global influence. Indonesia, as is likely the case with the rest of the world, is less hopeful about the change, so long as the US looks to continue escalating its rivalry with China.
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President-elect Joe Biden gestures after speaking during election night at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 4, 2020. Biden is to be sworn into office on Jan. 20. (Agence France-Presse/Angela Weiss)
W
hile the upcoming United States regime change has promised some welcome respite from years of hostile rivalry with China under President Donald Trump, Indonesian expectations have all but dissipated thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the US’ poor handling sure to take up most of President-elect Joe Biden’s attention.
On Wednesday, Biden and his deputy, Kamala Harris, will be sworn into office at the US Capitol, the site where hundreds of Trump supporters rioted earlier this month in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from formalizing the results of the US election, leaving five dead and the world questioning the state of the superpower’s democracy.
In a single presidential term, Trump’s “America First” experiment has greatly damaged US reputation overseas and has left the incoming administration with the difficult task of restoring trust among partner countries.
However, Trump also seemed to attract bipartisan support for raising security and economic stakes in the US-China rivalry, analysts have said.
This heightening of tensions has created geopolitical instability and left nations on the sidelines with few other choices than to pick a side, at a time when strong global collective leadership is required to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
Low expectations
Since “foreign policy starts at home”, Indonesia knows better than to put too many expectations on Biden’s administration to restore the balance of power with China.
