Biden's pardon: A gift to adversaries and a fresh blow to US credibility

By shielding his son from justice, President Biden has raised uncomfortable questions about America's standing as a global advocate for the rule of law.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

A father with the power to keep his son out of jail - who wouldn't use it?

So it's no shock that United States President Joe Biden did just that. On Dec 2, he pardoned his son, Hunter, for gun and tax evasion convictions. He was fully aware of the political firestorm it would ignite - and went ahead anyway.

Sympathy is instinctive. What parent wouldn't grab the chance to shield their child?

But even if you sympathise with Mr Biden's actions, you cannot ignore the political fallout, especially for a Democratic Party still reeling from a bruising election defeat.

For years, Democrats have pledged to restore decency after the chaos of Donald Trump's first stint in power, presenting themselves as stewards of justice and governance.

Mr Biden, in particular, has wrapped his presidency in lofty rhetoric about America as a moral compass, a beacon for the world.

For those of us watching from outside, the question is stark: what does this pardon say about American democracy and its claims to moral leadership?

We've long accounted for Trump's brazen disregard for norms - his antics shattered any illusion that rules held sway in Trumpworld.

But this move by Mr Biden strikes a different chord, one that damages the Democrats' standing, one can argue, just as deeply. It forces an uncomfortable reckoning: neither side has a monopoly on morality, no matter how often Democrats claim the mantle of virtue.

Mr Biden's decision, just seven weeks before power shifts back to Trump, doesn't just falter at home - it reverberates globally, eroding America's claims to uphold certain ideals.

THE RULE OF LAW, SHORT-CIRCUITED If even those who style themselves as defenders of democracy can so casually short-circuit their justice system, what does that say to the world?