Biden painted a hopeful picture of the future of the US-led system in Lithuania, writes ‘s US correspondent Iida Tikka.
When the President of the United States Joe Biden started his speech in Lithuania, found out why the speech could not wait until Helsinki as the new NATO member would have liked.
– It’s great to be in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the people know how the transformative power of freedom, – – . Together with your Latvian and Estonian brothers and sisters, you showed how the power of unity ended the time of division, Biden began, referring to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It is precisely the end of the Cold War with the victory of the United States that has marked Biden’s own political career. During the more than thirty-year superpower era, he has decided the direction of US foreign policy in different roles, whether it was military actions, trade agreements, economic sanctions – or even the expansion of NATO.
From Biden’s point of view, the US-led system has brought prosperity and peace to the entire world. When he spoke in Lithuania, he wanted to assure that this will also be the case in the future.
– We have to make a choice. Do we want a world based on coercion and the use of force, or a world where we recognize that our fate also depends on the success of others, Biden said.
– We have to work together – that’s why allied relations are the cornerstone of US dominance.
In reality, the US led by the system is fighting for its existence on several fronts.
The need gaps during the corona crisis revealed the weaknesses of global trade and the instability of logistics chains. The linkages of the international monetary system enable rapidly spreading collapses, and the collapse of one bank in San Francisco causes nervousness as far away as Finland.
Climate change and environmental destruction reveal that the free market does not regulate itself in a way that would guarantee the well-being of humanity. International agreements are increasingly difficult, and the United States is not a reliable contracting partner.
Economic sanctions and trade wars are straining economic relations and China is challenging the position of the United States as the most desirable partner country.
At the same time that Biden talks about defending democratic values against authoritarian states, there is a fight for the same values within countries, both in Europe and in the United States.
In his speech, Biden stressed that the answer to the challenges of the time is cooperation. He believes that the system that has been in place for decades will survive.
There is a reason for optimism from Ukraine.
The war in Europe has made the countries separated by the corona crisis remember the value of cooperation. Donald Trump’s the distrust of the United States created by the presidency has evaporated.
The United States is once again committed to guaranteeing the security of Europe. According to Biden, it is a guarantee of the well-being of the United States.
NATO’s unity and strengthening with Finland’s accession have shown that countries can choose unity in the face of problems.
– We must preserve the hope that is embodied in Lithuania. – – We must defend justice, freedom and unity, that is what history has taught us. – – When we stand together, we stand strong, Biden declared.
Next, the value-driven leader heads to Helsinki. For Biden, Finland is also an important proof of the vitality of the US-led system.