BIDEN: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME

The French say “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” or, loosely, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” This is our take on the transition in the United States where, finally, Trump is out and Biden is in. That we should not expect earth-shaking changes in the new administration in Washington. That though Biden is very different from Trump in almost everything – especially in temperament – we have been bitten so many times by past US Administrations owing to broken promises and unfulfilled expectations that we shouldn’t raise our hopes so high. But, of course, it must be said that better ANYONE that Donald Trump. Hopefully so.

So, what sort of president should Africa and the Muslim world expect in Biden?

• 600 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia call for help to return
• Quit notice: Youths attack Fulani communities in Oyo

As for Africa, despite his advanced age (being the oldest person to have become US president), we should expect a friend. Reason: In a viral 1986 clip which is trending this week, then a youngish Senator Joe Biden is shown haranguing one-time US Secretary George Schultz on the matter of apartheid South Africa. Biden showed he was a friend of black South Africans – and against the policies of the then US government of supporting the hated White regime and considering the black liberation movement as terrorists.

That (and many other evidences) show that Biden is pro-liberation, pro-the-downtrodden, pro-the-underdog. But we should remember he had never been president – as long-time and vice president for eight years he could do as much. Now as president, the mighty establishment is waiting on the wings. But, hopefully, we should reasonably expect that AGOA or similar policies in favour Africa and other developing world countries could be re-enacted, or enhanced. Hopefully.

On the other hand, what should Muslims expect?

In his first 24 hours, President Biden signed dozens of Presidential Orders including returning the US to the Climate Change agreement, known as the Paris Accord, which Trump exited the US, and lifted the ban of entry into the US of citizens from many Muslims, enacted again by Trump, among others. But by far the most significant omission in the presidential orders yet is the Iran Deal where US (represented by nominated Climate Czar and Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry), Europe, Russia and China painstakingly took months to put in place. If Biden were a bold person, he would have immediately returned the US to that agreement.

Trump was to George Bush what Biden is to Obama. When it was time for Bush to go, this Column was elated – high hopes there would be more justice and equity in the world. That there would be less attacks on hapless Muslim and other underdog nations. That there would be more balance in the Middle East to ensure that Palestinians at least get the crumbs of the purported and oft-touted ‘Two-State Solution.’ Alas! Despite last minute bravado by Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘defeated’ Obama on this matter – perhaps as revenge of Obama’s signing of the Iran Deal.

In “Beating About the Bush”, the piece on this page on January 24, 2009 to ‘usher’ out former the Junior Bush, we had said: “We shall miss former US President George W. Bush. He was a real character: wickedly funny, legendarily foolish, fastly shoe-ducking. The words ‘legendarily’ and ‘fastly’ as used here will fit in very well with what is now known as Bushism: a neologism that refers to a number of peculiar semantic or linguistic errors that have occurred in the public speaking of the former US helmsman…” Bush was a character all on his own – little did we know a more interesting character was just around the corner. Now we are short of words, at a loss for words, to describe Trump!

In a series of  three pieces around “The Audacity of Malcolm and Obama” on this page in November 2008 heralding the triumph of Barrack Obama at the US elections of that month, we had said: “Justifiably, many readers felt shortchanged by the column’s changing fortunes over the three weeks of the Obama Real Reality Show: how could the column call on Americans to rise and give the world a change (as epitomised by Obama); then trace the Dreams of the great people who paid the supreme sacrifice to pave the way for Obama; and then come round to scare a still-mesmerised audience with a nightmare….[there is] the Hand of God in all this. So while the writer is cautious and apprehensive like many others, he is hopeful still that the Wonderful Hand of God would steer this audacious ship of expectations to berth in calm waters.”

Obama’s tenure was a mixed bag of hits and misses. Whereas he was touted as being ‘one of us’, Obama didn’t see it important to help us use his drone to take out our enemies whom we couldn’t deal with – principally Abubakar Shekau. How come the United States, which uses its deadly drones to such great effect on its so-called enemies, neglected to help its great ‘friend’ Nigeria on this matter? No one would have been surprised if Trump didn’t also do so, and we shouldn’t be surprised of Biden doesn’t release our Tucano or help us defences forces in any way.