The inauguration of any President of the United States is always a time for hope and optimism, a time to grasp the potential of what might be, beginning and renewal.
And never more sore in a century and a half has America needed to salve its wounds, shore its divisions and come together to embrace the sureness of hope, not the soreness of hurt.
There will be much to be written about these past four years and the tenure of the 45th president and dwelling on the past. This is now the time of the 46th and time to look to the future, to appreciate the dawn of a new day in the US. Let reconciliation be the watchword now in Washington.
There is a new path to be forged, not merely a return to those walked by the Democrats previously. Washington is not as it was before — the US has changed, so too the world. And so too this region
The story of America is one of discovery, of freedoms, of leadership and of innovation — the ability to harness the materials of man and nature and build the world’s largest economy while spreading hope and the best of the nation’s values to others.
The next four years should be a time then of renewal, of looking out beyond its shores and seeing a world full of potential and possibilities. The time for introspection and looking primarily within is done.
Rejoin the Paris climate accords
Already, President Biden has said that he will restore America’s place on the world stage. On his first day in office he will sign an executive order to rejoin the Paris climate accords, and within days more he will renew the US relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and rekindle old friendships with true friends.
For many of Washington’s allies, this return to the world stage is welcome indeed. There is much work to be done in coordinating a global response to the coronavirus pandemic and working together to rebuild and reshape the global economy, putting it on a green path to the future.
In this region, there are ties to be renewed as the US works with its partners to bring peace and stability for all while ensuring that threats are contained and that the future is based on security and cooperation.
These next four years of President Biden should not merely be a return to the White House tenure of Barack Obama. There is a new path to be forged, not merely a return to those walked by the Democrats previously. Washington is not as it was before — the US has changed, so too the world. And so too this region.
