Shen Yi:US faces both better and worse odds

Author:Shen Yi Release date:2021-02-20 13:37:25Source: Global Times on 21 Jan. 2021

  

The mire the US has fallen into is the division among diverse ethnic groups. Its root cause lies in the inequality of wealth. Combined with issues of race, ethics and immigration, a complicated social division has eventually been forged. Instead of tacking wealth distribution problems, or promoting the common identity as Americans, US politicians reinforces the unique identity of each group in a bid to gain their support.

  

On the first day in office, Biden took a range of executive actions, the new president revoked a plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count. This is used to determine each state's representation in the House of Representatives.

  

This order will trigger a strong dissatisfaction among the white and legal immigrants, as this means residents living in this country without a lawful immigration status will be counted as Americans. The purpose of this order is to extend the Democratic Party's voter base. This will change the distribution of electoral votes. As a result, Democrats will gain significant electoral advantage and increase the likeliness to win the next cycle elections over the Republican Party.

  

The theme for Biden's inauguration was America United. But the result from signing this order will be a further political and social division in the US, which will go against the America United slogan. It is obvious that the appeal of Biden and his team to solidify the country is only lip service. Their actual intent is to safeguard their own vested interests, instead of sincerely uniting this country. Against this backdrop, rather than bridge domestic divisions, Biden is projected to amplify them.

  

Biden said it is a priority to fight against the pandemic. Unfortunately, when looking through the first executive orders he made on day one in the White House, the coordination specifics of vaccines is not completely clear. But they should be the linchpin of the battle over COVID-19.

  

The international community is discussing whether or not Biden will lead the US to re-embrace multilateralism and restore its global leadership. But the US at present cannot play a big role in international organizations. Its return to the WHO is mainly to offset China's influence in this organization. The international community should not set many expectations toward that.

  

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