Back to liberal American hegemony

In abandoning Trump’s America First doctrine, Biden will offer relief—but not a free lunch.

After four years of Donald Trump, his impending departure has sent hopes soaring. The Great Disruptor will be replaced by Joe Biden, an internationalist and institutionalist. He likes Europe and NATO, and, unlike Trump, he will treat America’s friends better than its traditional foes, including by honouring free trade. In the realm of security, he won’t clobber allies with threats amounting to ‘pay up, or we pull out!’ Multilateralism will again guide American policy. It will be back to liberal hegemony instead of Trump’s narrow-minded illiberal version.