55. THE WORLD (NOT JUST AMERICA) NEEDS BIDEN TO WIN THE 2020 ELECTION: A Student in the UK Weighs in on the Ethics of American Voting

Ever since the Second World War the US has been perceived as leading the West in promoting democracy, free speech and human rights all around the world and despite some damaging mistakes being made (for instance, the Iraq War in 2003) the US has arguably helped promote basic societal and political rights in Latin America and South East Asia. However, since the election of Donald Trump in 2016, the US has gone from perceived leader of the free world and centre of cooperation to a nation which continues to pull out of global organisations which ensure global security, health and sustainability, hence damaging the capability of all nations to respond to aggressive nations, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. It is for these reasons that, I submit, the world needs Biden to win in 2020.

Why America is obliged to take the responsibility of global leadership 

1.     Experience – having done so since 1945, America understands the situations of many of the world’s nations better than any other, and has world class intelligence services to decide appropriate action. 

2.     Power – undeniably the world’s strongest military power with a vast armed forces and highly advanced military technology, allowing the US to act in ways other nations can’t.

3.     Legitimacy – although the US itself is far from perfect it has historically advocated for democracy, free speech and human rights.

While some may respond to 1 by referring to the Iraq War and the disastrous campaign that the US led, the reason why experience is so invaluable is also due to learning from mistakes and adjusting decision making for different scenarios in the future. Giving up on global leadership due to a mistake being made would just be a whole new mistake in itself and would show a lack of learning and adapting. 

In short, global leadership from the most suitable member (one which encompasses the 3 above points - the USA) allows for global co-operation which means a wide range of nations working on coming up with the best solution to solve a problem –something Trump has been against, as seen by his attacks on NATO and the WHO. 

Foreign policy

Whilst I acknowledge that Trump has made some positive foreign policy decisions such as the de-escalation of tensions with North Korea and an aggressive strategy to greatly damage ISIS, his threats to NATO of pulling out troops from Eastern Europe are showing no signs of the relatively united Western world that was seen after WW2 and which led to unexpected long term peace. Trump’s decision runs on the logic of:

1.     The US spends high amounts of money in Eastern Europe on keeping its armed forces there to deter Russian aggression and therefore defend the Eastern European nations.

2.     These nations however have spent relatively low % of GDP on military spending and have ended up relying on the US troops there.

Therefore; 3. These nations don’t care about the defence of their nation from Russian aggression and so there will be no harm in US withdrawing its troops.

This logic relies on the assumption that by withdrawing its troops in Eastern Europe, it will not lead to a rise in Russian ambitions and aggression leading to a more destabilised Eastern Europe. This assumption is clearly not a suitable one to make given the continued approach of Russia to take Crimea from Ukraine and prevent more of Eastern Europe from joining NATO and the EU. It is clear therefore that seeing as Trump’s logic is based on an assumption likely to be wrong to make, that he should instead work with the nations to negotiate suitable defence budgets so they aren’t so reliant on the US but are still safe from Russia. Unfortunately, Trump has proved to not be interested in co-operation, believing instead that the US knows best either way. However, simply by referring to a war which Trump himself ‘criticised’, the Iraq War we see a situation in which perceived ‘US intelligence’ didn’t have the desired effect, instead leading to a de-stabilised Middle East like never before. US technology and intelligence whilst world class is being caught up by other nations and it is therefore time for a President to work with his allies and counterparts through discussion and not make rash decisions which can ruin a whole region. As an advocate of global cooperation and a leader of it in the Obama administration, Biden is quite clearly a leader who will embrace the reputation the US holds as a global leader and will work with his allies to work towards a suitable solution, hence helping the world sort out its most pressing issues. 

Climate change

The biggest problem and threat the world faces for its long term existence and what does the leader of the Western world say of it? That it’s a ‘hoax’. 

Instead of working through global institutions to help combat climate change, the US president has pulled out of the Paris Climate accords, undermining the work of over 190 parties and turning a blind eye to not only the realistic suffering we will experience if climate change continues but most importantly the despair of poorer nations like those in Sub-Saharan Africa who are already experiencing deadly droughts as a result of climate change. The policies which Trump has advocated for and followed based on climate change are effectively acts of disregarding the needs of the poor by prioritising its own production over the lives of millions in regions at risk of climate change.In no way is sacrificing the lives of the vulnerable for your own production an ethical decision, especially when the nations that will suffer the most, like those in Sub-Saharan Africa are very low co2 emitters and therefore their safety relies on nations like the US. As the 2nd largest carbon emitter, the US has the ability to greatly reduce climate change and will have an easier job switching to renewable than some of others, due to the fact that it is already developed. Therefore, America has a moral obligation to citizens over the world to act – something that Biden is willing to uphold. Not only will Biden’s $2 trillion investment in green energy help reduce America’s carbon emissions but may act as a model for other countries to follow and therefore a domino effect may well be created, hence saving the lives of many at risk of climate change all around the world. America is greatly responsible for climate change at its current level, now it’s time for a leader to recognise this and take suitable action to save lives all around the world – that leader clearly isn’t Trump. 

Pandemic

5.85 million cases and 180000 deaths (as of the time of writing: 27/08/2020) . This perfectly outlines how America clearly is not better isolated from global systems and framework under the Trump administration. Whilst I agree that the WHO has made mistakes during the pandemic, it is integral to the coordination of a global initiative to vaccine development, which not only does the US need but so does the whole world. By removing the 15% of the WHO budget that the US sends, Trump has put the development of a vaccine at risk and therefore the lives of millions all over the world who desperately need a vaccine. In what way is it ethical for the US to ignore its obligations to fighting viruses across the world, just because the WHO was reluctant in criticising China. In addition to this, whilst Trump blames the WHO for ‘cosying’ up to China during the pandemic, he in fact tweeted his support for China and their response on the 24th of January, hence showing how reactionary his tweets are. 

In summary 5 more years of Trump, not only means an erosion of America’s reputation in the eyes of its allies, a worsening climate for the US and more cases and deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic, it also means a world without a leader, without the ability to fight climate change and without sufficient funding to defeat the virus. The world, not just America, therefore needs Biden to win in 2020. 

Author: Oliver Fox, Student at King Edward VI School, Aston