"United Democracies": Will Joe Biden be able to convince Europeans beyond words?
US President Joe Biden in Suffolk, England on June 9, 2021. AP - Patrick Semansky
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Start of Joe Biden's European program Thursday, June 10: after his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the American president will participate in the G7 and NATO summits before a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Poutin.
"
The United States is back and democracies around the world are united to face the most difficult challenges,
" said Joe Biden upon his arrival in the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
After the Trump years, the new tenant of the White House is showing his desire to unify and mobilize Washington's allies around the idea of democracy.
Will he be able to convince them with actions?
Publicity
Read more
"
The Biden administration has a policy which is extremely positive with Europe, which makes Europe a major partner and which also wants to build something new,"
explains Olivier-Rémy Bel, French researcher at a center. think tank, the Atlantic Council, at the microphone of
Nicolas Falez
, of the international service of RFI.
And this is where Europeans are wondering, since not everyone is sure the Biden administration is going to walk the talk.
"
“
There have been some very positive episodes such as the return of the United States to the climate agreement,”
continues Olivier-Rémy Bel.
But there were other episodes which left more friction with the Europeans: for example, the American decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan and therefore to cause the closure of the NATO mission there. .
The European allies had not been consulted but simply "
informed
" of the American decision.
►
To read also: “America is back”: Joe Biden in Europe for his first trip abroad
"
Great rhetoric on Europe
"
Another example that surprised Europeans: the American proposal to lift intellectual property protections on vaccines. The administration certainly has "
great rhetoric on Europe
", but the question remains, underlines Olivier-Rémy Bel: "
Will it have more interest and attention paid to Asia or will it be it really capable of investing in concrete terms in the transatlantic relationship?
"
Just before takeoff aboard the Air Force One plane, the American president assured that the purpose of his trip was to make it clear "
to Putin and China that the United States and Europe [were] united .
My trip to Europe is an opportunity for America to mobilize democracies around the world
”.
For the Atlantic Council researcher, "
appearing as defending democracy, breaking with the Trump administration, is a signal sent in terms of domestic politics
."
►
To read also: "Special relationship"?
First face-to-face Biden-Johnson amid Brexit tensions
Europeans between the two Chinese and American behemoths
But is the purpose of this summit to promote democracy really to re-establish the transatlantic relationship as the center of Washington's diplomacy? Since Barack Obama, the United States has made its "
pivot to Asia
" and it is not Joe Biden who will backtrack. “
Today, China is the polar star of American politics,”
confirms Olivier-Rémy Bel. The French researcher underlines the "
existential
"
character
of the Sino-American rivalry for two reasons: "the emergence of another power which comes to compete with the American power" on the one hand and on the other hand, "
a competition between models.
There is a stake in showing that a democratic system is capable today of underpinning an international order.
"
The rivalry between the two superpowers will undoubtedly occupy minds at the G7 as at the NATO summit, where "
the Americans wish to boost work on China
", explains Olivier-Rémy Bel.
This is where the European position is delicate.
“
This is one of the points where Europe has a lot to contribute.
And at the same time, it is also a strategic rivalry where the Europeans will want to preserve a form of independence.
We don't want to be caught between the Chinese juggernaut and the American juggernaut.
"
►
To read also: United States, a plan to counter China: "A strategic, geo-economic and geopolitical challenge"
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
European Union
United States
Joe biden
China
Russia
Afghanistan
Weather
Paris climate 2015
On the same subject
"America is back": Joe Biden in Europe for his first trip abroad
"Special relationship"?
First face-to-face Biden-Johnson amid Brexit tensions
International guest
United States, a plan to counter China: "A strategic, geo-economic and geopolitical challenge"