By Joe Montero
Despite the expectations of many, New United States president Joe Biden is set to continue much along the same lines as Donald Trump. This is not the dawning of a new era. It is not even going back towards the time before Trump.
In case anyone thinks I’m exaggerating, consider the core promises in domestic policy. It is true that there has been an important shift in climate policy, a $US 1.9 promised increase in Civid-19 payments, a turn from strident the anti-union position of his predecessor, and some shift on healthcare.
Remember the Black Lives Matter movement and its issues? How is this being addressed?
The swathe of early executive orders has brought some nominal improvements. But they remain subsidiary to the main game, where promises remain to be converted into action.
Don’t expect much. The Biden policies were designed as negotiating chips, to be watered down, as the bipartisanship strategy is applied. In other words, the policies are a tactic for negotiation with the Republican Party, and the outcome will be far less than the promise.
In foreign policy, besides the welcome re-joining of the Paris Accord on Climate, it is mostly continuing along the Trump road.
Photo by Codie L. Soule/Reuters: US military based foreign policy to remain
Interventionism is all parts of the globe will continue, as will American wars. The new cold war on China will still be followed. aim of enforcing American dominance over the Pacific an American remains. Pressure on Korea will continue.
Central and south America will remain as a prime region for intervention. The Biden administration has already said it will continue to recognise Guaido as president of Venezuela, despite is having no authority, administration, and little support in the country. Expect more intervention in other countries in this region.
Another continuation of the Trump legacy is the intention to extradite Julian Assange for the disclosure of American war crimes. The Biden administration wants to put the man before a farce of a trial that makes a mockery of any notion of a fair go and restricts the freedom to report.
There is good reason why all this is happening.
Election results for President and the members of the Congress and Senate did not change who is in power. Power continues to be in the hands of Wall Street, the Pentagon, and the army of functionaries in Washington and the capitals of the states.
This is underlined by the reliance of both the Republicans and Democrats on funding by billionaires, and an electoral system rigged to block out any challenge outside a very narrow and admitted field.
The following video is a year old and dates to the beginning of Biden’s race for nomination and provides an insight into who bankrolled his campaign. Sign then, the corporate support for Biden increased to block the possibility of the nomination going to Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden Runs to Wall Street
Video from Status Coup
Those who hold power are divided. The Trump phenomenon is an expression of this. Some see a more aggressive style as the way to go forward. Others see a softer approach would be more fruitful. They have their conflicting business interests.
But on one thing they are united. The goal is what is best for big business, at a time of a deepening crisis, accompanied by the economic and political decline of the United States.
Domestically, the aim is to maintain the dominance of big business and counter the growing disillusionment and rising anger of the population. Globally it is to re-assert American dominance through peaceful or violent means.
Wall Street depends on power over other nations to profit, and what it can extract from its own workforce. It depends on the politics of division of the population and the creation of scapegoats. It depends on turning attention away from the power of Wall Street.
A considerable section of the Democrats and its political base does not want this. But they don’t get the say. As the real agenda becomes clearer, anger against the direction of their leaders will grow.
In the meantime, the hope of Wall Street is that enough will be lulled into complacency by believing the Joe Biden will deliver.
This is a big reason for the theatre around impeaching Donald Trump. Everyone knows deep down that this will amount to nothing. But it does serve as a convenient distraction for now. The more attention is riveted on this, the less is on the fact that behind this is the reality of business as usual.
For there to be a real change, it must come from the bottom up, and be in the hands of ordinary Americans. It depends on them breaking from the hold of Wall Street, which is still some way down the track.
Other countries must also break the hold. Australia is a good example. To end the situation where our governments serve as appendages of Washington, slavishly follow every policy, and become embroiled in every war instigated by the United Sates and allows Australian territory to be used as a military installation, would help the process of real change in the United States.
It would also remove a chain that ties us and prevents Australia reaching our own potential.