The chief of US imperialism has been replaced last January 29. Joseph Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president with Kamala Harris as his vice president amid the onslaught of a severe economic, political and health crisis in the country.

Like his predecessors, Biden advocates for “US global leadership” which essentially means US imperialist hegemony across the world. However, he is faced with a bigger challenge in the multipolar world wherein Russia and China continue to grow in strength as rival imperialist centers, on top of its capitalist competition with Europe.

Biden is also faced with the American workers’ intensifying resistance who seek to defend their economic and political rights. He is pressured to keep his promises and address the people’s demand for employment, wage increase, better working conditions and social services, as well as to promote justice that is based on accountability, end racisim, police brutality and the militarization of its institutions.

Who is Joseph Biden?

Joseph Biden, 76, is a veteran politician and a member of the Democratic Party in the US. He first attempted to run as president in 1988 but withdrew after admitting to exagerrating his credentials. He ran, won and served as Barack Obama’s president from 2009 to 2017. Before this, he served as the senator of the state of Delaware from 1973 to 2009.

Biden is known for his right-leaning stances within his party. Among democrats, he was the leading and most rabid advocate of the US war of aggression in Af­gha­nistan and Iraq when he was still the head of the Senate committee on foreign affairs. Later on, he withdrew his support from these wars, but has not supported the call to demilitarize the areas. He administered the “recon­struction” of Iraq under the Obama administration. He supported the US war of aggression in Libya, and the provision of armaments to anti-Assad rebel groups in Syria.

He also has a record of racism as the senator of Delaware who actively opposed the policy for the integration of Black and White students in the 1970s.

Initial steps

During his early presidency, Biden signed 30 executive orders to reverse the worst fascist and anti-immigrant policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump. He also reversed the policies which favor Trump’s favored capitalists. These include the order to stop the construction of the US-Mexico border and junk the policy which prohibits the entry into the US of individuals from certain Muslim countries. He also implemented stricter measures against the Covid-19 pandemic. He also continued to provide aid to distressed Americans similar to what Trump did. He also signed orders to prioritize climate justice.

On the other hand, critics pointed out that the orders are lacking. For instance, he has only suspended instead of cancelling student debts. He has suspended the issuance of new oil mining permits, but continues to allow the operations of 10,000 companies.

International relations

Biden will continue to promote the US’ display of imperialist might in the South China Sea to directly oppose the expansionist plans of China. His newly appointed heads of foreign affairs, commerce and intelligence are all known for being aggressive against China.

Initial statements by these officials indicate that the Biden administration will be further aggressive in its interventions in Syria, Iran and Turkey in the pretext of “regime change.” Nothing will change with the regime’s relation with Israel, and it has no plans to relocate the US embassy which it illegally erected in the land it occupied in Jerusalem. It will continue to be aggressive against Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea. These policies are not new and are actually just a continuation of the policies which Biden supported as vice president of the Obama administration.