DossierNew Beginnings: the High Expectations of the Biden-Harris administration

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will respectively become President and Vice-President of the United States of America. The new administration faces great challenges after four years of Trump-fuelled divisions and threats to the Rule of Law, as well as the ravaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. How will the USA recover its economy, overcome social and political polarisation and regain trust at global level?

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An historic opportunity on an unstable footing: the new US government and the global order

Commentary
The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is an historic opportunity. They both stand for a political commitment to liberal democracy and a societal commitment to unity instead of division. Democracy instead of autocracy, cooperation instead of divisiveness and nationalism: these are also the most important political fault lines for the shaping of the future global order.
By Bastian Hermisson

Climate

Rise for Climate march in San Francisco

Biden’s Climate Plan: Hope Alone or a Turning Point?

Analysis
One of Joe Biden’s first acts after he entered the White House was to sign a series of climate-related executive orders, signalling a clear intention to waste no time in reversing the destructive policies of his predecessor. Reflecting the urgency of the matter, the new US president has presented the most ambitious climate plan to date. What has he promised, and which measures can be implemented – and how quickly?
By Nora Löhle

Digitalisation

Politics

Street Art George Floyd

“Trump’s election defeat won’t end structural racism”

Interview
The murder of George Floyd has thrown the United States into a state of unrest. President Trump is throwing fuel on the fire in an attempt to increase his re-election chances. The main problem, however, is historical, structural racism – and not just in the U.S. An interview with Bastian Hermisson, Head of the Foundation’s office in Washington, and Mekonnen Mesghena, Head of Migration and Diversity at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin.
By Bastian Hermisson and Mekonnen Mesghena
Picture of Earth with the corona virus around it

Between confrontation and cooperation: Coronavirus and the international order

Analysis
The coronavirus crisis comes at a time when the international order is already under stress, mainly driven by a new rivalry between “great powers”. Coronavirus could either exacerbate this trend, or it could breathe new life into international cooperation. Another possibility is that rivalry will remain central to the coming order, but one in which democracies come closer together to push back against autocratic bids for global power and influence. A geopolitical analysis.
By Dr. Ulrich Speck

Covid-19

Related publications

Privacy in the EU and US: Consumer experiences across three global platforms

Privacy in the EU and US: Consumer experiences across three global platforms

This research examines how aspects of privacy and data protection are working for consumers in two major economic areas – the EU and the US. Both have high levels of digital use, and major online providers offer very similar services in both regions. However, their legal approach to data protection and privacy are very different: while the EU has a general data protection law, the US to-date has not enacted such an all-encompassing law at the federal level.dig

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