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Geography | Citizenship | PSHE

Seven reasons to feel better this morning

Can we relax and stop worrying now? Joe Biden has instantly erased many Trump policies in an unprecedented display of power. The entire world seems to be breathing a giant sigh of relief. “No time to start like today.” Joe Biden had barely been inaugurated when he set to work. Sitting behind the Resolute desk for the first time on Wednesday, the 46th president of the United States calmly signed a record 17 executive orders. Many of Donald Trump’s decrees came undone with the stroke of a pen. After four years of fake news and relentless outrage, Biden’s instant destruction of his predecessor’s programme felt like the lifting of a storm. Here are seven reasons to feel happier. Democracy now. Surviving an onslaught of lies, phoney lawsuits and an attempted coup, Biden’s successful campaign has proved that American democracy is strong enough to defeat internal foes. It also shares a message of defiance to the country’s autocratic critics. Apocalypse later. With the nuclear football safely removed from Donald Trump’s grasp, the fear of atomic warfare has faded. The Doomsday Clock might wind back a minute or two. Climate hope. Signalling climate change as his largest priority after the pandemic, Biden has returned the US to the Paris Agreement. He has promised to cut emissions and set aside several oil and gas schemes. The world’s second biggest polluter could become its environmental saviour. Band aid. The US has had a disastrous pandemic, hosting 25% of all recorded cases. Biden is boosting the country’s response and promoting masks. He has also halted Trump’s planned exit from the World Health Organisation. America’s unrivalled power and resources will join the global struggle against the virus. Breaking barriers. Trump’s regime was marked by the cruel treatment of migrants on the US-Mexico border, including putting children in cages. Biden has signed orders to end such enforcement and halt the building of a border wall. He has also lifted Trump’s travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries. America is once again open to the world. Fair play. After a year in which America’s inequalities were laid bare, Biden has made strides towards a fairer society. He has outlawed workplace discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. He has demanded racial equity in federal agencies. And he has barred all government workers from using their position for personal gain. Together again. Lashing out at allies in Europe while praising tyrants like Kim Jong-un, Trump destabilised America’s long-term alliances. Biden has already signalled plans to strengthen ties between democracies and recommit to NATO. Can we relax and stop worrying now? After the storm Yes, say some. Trump will skulk into the history books, a loser. By undoing the worst excesses of the past four years in an instant, Biden has reset the needle. In targeting the pandemic, tackling climate change, encouraging international collaboration and supporting democracy, the world’s most powerful nation can become a force for good. Dream on, say others. American politics have returned to the status quo, but it was rotten long before Trump. Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on, the climate crisis looks terminal and the world still suffers from famine, warfare and inequality. Although Trump fuelled some of these problems, his loss does not remove them. At best, we have more breathing space in which to address them. KeywordsKim Jong-un - The leader of North Korea since 2011.

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