A Quick Analysis of the United States Elections and its Aftermath
by Tiago Silva
On November 3, the world held its breath as United States (US) electors chose who will sit in one of the most powerful chairs in the world. The electoral process lasted for four more days and kept everybody in an expectation model that centered the US election in the world media until Biden conquered the needed votes to become the next president of the United States. Today, almost a month later after the beginning of the elections we can have a clear perspective of how the voting went in different parts of the country and the results’ implications in the US’ democracy and political aspect. Revealing Trump’s struggle to hold power, the Biden debt with Black voters, and how the world will have to deal with the result.
During the count of votes, Trump used his social media to claim victory and to start calling the election fraudulent arguing that mail-in votes are unconstitutional and should not be counted. Besides, President Trump also asked for recounts in states like Georgia and Wisconsin and has threatened to go to the Supreme Court to prove that he has won. David Sager, a New York Times national security correspondent, argues that Trump’s pursuit to maintain power has isolated him from his assisting team due to its unethical neglection of the election result. Trump’s continuous attempts to overrule the voting process and declare his victory are an example of how democracies in many countries in the world, such as Brazil and Costa Rica, are damaged by extreme right-wing populism added with hyperinflation of its leader’s ego. Another example of damage in the democratic process is Trump’s initial refusal and late acceptance to the beginning of a peaceful transition of power to president-elected Joe Biden.
Now, it is also crucial to understand on what grounds Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected as well. First, it is undeniable that the Black community played a major role in the election of the future president. According to Cliff Albright (2020), 87% of all Black voters in the United States supported Biden while only 12% voted for Trump. The support of the Black community highlights how police violence against Black communities is a crime that must have actual punishment and needs to be properly recognized in all institutions and levels of justice as a racially motivated hate crime. Meaning that institutionalized racism, as well as all forms of racism, must be addressed and corrected in all layers of society in order to achieve equity and justice for its citizens. This is not a particularity of the United States’ society it is a need on a global scale.
As the world develops and creates an increasingly interconnected and dependent web of relationships, whether economic, political, social, or cultural, we must understand that decisions made halfway across the world impact our countries and local communities. John Sudworth, a correspondent for the BBC in Beijing, defends the idea that the Chinese can benefit from Biden’s encouragement of cooperation between nations. However, Sudworth also recognizes that the election of Biden will delay the decline in US power. Jessica Parker, another BBC correspondent in London, points out that Biden might prefer to relate to other European nations first than the United Kingdom. Parker argues that the close ties between Trump and Boris, and Biden’s public opposition to Brexit could deeply impact the leader’s relationship. Regarding Brazil, the election of Biden could force a change in the international position of the country. The country government of Bolsonaro had close relations with Trump and saw with apprehension the election of Biden, especially concerning Biden’s interest in the Amazon rainforest and the bureaucracy around it.
In a nutshell, this election underscores how social inequalities based on race are at the core of many political discussions and how each vote matters and must be counted to give a voice to all citizens. Moreover, the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can either represent four years of structural changes in US politics to reflect the well being of all citizens and not only of a particular parcel of the population. Or it can be yet another four years of populism with little changes for the minorities and no achievement of justice or equity. Thus, the Biden-Harris administration has a lot of challenges ahead of them with great responsibilities to minorities, especially the Black communities, to undo some radical and unequal decisions taken by the Trump administration detrimental to the social well being.
