Biden could be helped by a return to militarism

Big arms deals with Taiwan, Japan and India; more aircraft carriers and sophisticated kits deployed around the Pacific all feed a narrative, with which both Democrats and Republicans are aligned

- Vince Cable

LONDON

As president-elect Joe Biden prepares for office, he and the new generation of staffers, pundits, think-tankers, speechwriters and policy wonks circling around him have a big problem.

The president can make nice, conciliatory, heart-warming speeches. But what can he actually do which is politically unifying in the country, rebuilds bridges to America’s alienated allies and doesn’t become ensnared in the likely Congressional gridlock?

The shortlist is obvious but doesn’t take him very far. He will ensure that the USA re-joins the Paris Accord on the climate crisis. Great. But he will not be able to get approval to spend money on renewables or take regulatory or tax measures which radically reduce the carbon dependency of the economy.

It was notable that Senator Mitt Romney – the former Republican presidential nominee who all but endorsed Biden this year – took straight to the airwaves on Sunday to voice opposition to any constraints on the coal and gas industries. So much for bipartisanship.