Joe Biden surrounds himself with an experienced firm representing diversity and parity
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware on January 16, 2021. REUTERS - KEVIN LAMARQUE
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Joe Biden is to be officially invested this Wednesday, January 20, 46th President of the United States.
He promised to get to work very quickly to fight the Covid pandemic and revive the sluggish economy.
To do this, he surrounded himself with an experienced firm, representing diversity and parity.
Half of the 24 cabinet members who must be confirmed by the Senate are women.
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Besides
Kamala Harris
, first vice president in United States history, of color moreover, Joe Biden has chosen to surround himself with many other women.
The posts dedicated to the Economy are almost all attributed to female figures.
Starting with
Janet Yellen
, 74, appointed Secretary of the Treasury, a prestigious portfolio for the former President of the Federal Reserve.
Janet Yellen will have a lot to do.
Economic recovery is one of Joe Biden's priorities with the worst crisis the United States has known since the 1930s. Gina Raimondo at Commerce or Isabel Guzman, in charge of small businesses complete the team.
Another symbol:
Deb Haaland
, appointed to the Interior, is 60 years old, the American Prime Minister in the history of the United States.
She has so far represented New Mexico in Congress.
There is also Avril Haines, appointed as Director of National Intelligence.
She's a former CIA.
Finally, as ambassador to the UN, Joe Biden chose the African-American
Linda Thomas Greenfield
, a seasoned diplomat.
► To read also: United States: Joe Biden slower than his predecessors to appoint his cabinet
A new diplomatic era
First major event on the international scene: a NATO summit.
We do not yet have the date, but it will certainly be very soon, in the wake of the installation of the new administration.
And in Brussels, the headquarters of the organization, the place and role of
Turkey
will be discussed in particular
.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, also wants a better sharing of the burden between Europeans and Americans.
"
Rightly
" judged Angela Merkel two months ago.
Can more participation of Europeans mean more autonomy?
This is the wish of Paris, and it is new, it is an open debate in Germany.
In the east of the EU, on the other hand, we always want to stay under the Atlanticist umbrella even if it is not Joe Biden who was favored by Warsaw or Budapest.
► To listen also: Joe Biden and NATO
Also on Joe Biden's agenda in the coming weeks: what he calls a “summit of democracies”.
A summit that could take on the appearance of an anti-Chinese alliance led by Washington.
Asia, a major diplomatic priority for Joe Biden with the very hard position vis-à-vis China and its president whom he has already described as a "
thug
".
In any case, the Europeans did not wait for him to sign an agreement with Beijing on investments.
An agreement that has not yet been ratified.
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