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26 September 2021

Despite the chaos of U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan, the world still needs American leadership

John Weaver

With the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) underway, President Biden finds himself in a tenuous position. The precipitous withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent fall of the government in Kabul has relegated the U.S. to a country that appears weak and incompetent.

That stated, this country remains the hegemonic power of the planet. Biden needs to leverage his leadership to restore America’s image quickly and his speech next week to the General Assembly could help him move in that direction.

Aside from the global pandemic and resulting economic crisis, there are other real threats to peace and stability that will likely continue into the foreseeable future; these will require U.S. leadership and cooperation among most of the countries of the world. Likewise, globalization of trade, its proliferation and inextricable linkages among most countries’ economies has made it increasingly difficult in knowing whether one is a friend or foe.

This is particularly true when turning to the relationship of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) otherwise referred to as the P5: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The relationships among the five member nations are not as clear as was the case three decades ago during the Cold War when we lived in a bipolar world.

As Biden looks to address the General Assembly next week, one can hope that he will look to align nations for common goals such as helping to end the world’s COVID crisis, renegotiating the Iranian nuclear agreement, strengthening the world’s resolve regarding North Korea’s nuclear program, and seeing where common ground exists with Russia and China to move forward with mutually beneficial initiatives. He also needs to confront the elephant in the room and seek global support to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a harbinger of terror actors like al Qaeda and ISIS-K.

World leaders would be remiss in their duties if they fail to take into account the position of each in the context of contemporary issues. Countries can be aligned on one issue and yet diametrically opposed on others. Biden should exploit common interests among the P5 when and where possible. Examples include terrorism, halting nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction, preventing organized crime from burgeoning, and more. If Biden can seize the initiative, make the case for these common issues, and if the U.S. can serve as a lead advocate for UN involvement, then this can help start the process to restore this country’s image on the world stage.

Back in 2015, all five members were able to work together to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Another famous example of the nations working together was when the United States warned Russia of a terror plot in St. Petersburg in 2017; Russia was able to react to prevent the event from coming to fruition. This relationship should continue and will most likely do so well into the future.

Likewise, the P5 nations have demonstrated that they’re capable of sharing information and working together on one issue despite being at odds over other issues. Consider for a moment North Korea. Though the United States is often at odds with China and Russia for their forays in the South China Sea and Ukraine respectively, we have leaned on them to apply pressure on Kim Jong-Un of North Korea. This cooperation sprang from a mutual interest in slowing Kim’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

The UN is still a relevant and powerful organization. Hopefully, the rest of P5 leadership will see the inextricable linkage of security and economic growth to one another and will use future UN meetings to engage in thoughtful policy discussions with one another. Moreover, Biden has a role to use his position as the leader of the most powerful nation in the P5 to help foster the pursuit of common goals for the collective good of the world community.

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