In the several years which have passed since President Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president, the American public has been faced with increasingly challenging circumstances. Crime levels continue to increase, and even in suburban areas which had long been deemed “safe”, individuals are increasingly hesitant to let children play outside unattended. Urban centers, long the centers of national culture and liveliness, are decaying, increasingly unhygienic, and markedly dangerous. Economically, the working class continues to struggle under the rising costs of necessities as inflation has devalued the dollar. Paired with this, a raging cultural conflict continues in educational centers across America. In truth, while the global state of humanity is in no happy place, life within the historic “land of opportunity” is increasingly difficult.
While things continue to worsen at the domestic level, chaos continues to be the overarching theme of international politics. Nations like Russia and China, clearly emboldened by weak leadership from President Biden in Washington D.C. have continued to act aggressively. Russia launched a full scale war in eastern Europe in early 2022, invading Ukraine. China continues to threaten U.S. dominance in the pacific and across the world in general, utilizing the internet and the nature of the global economy to invest in many developing nations in Africa, buy up farmland in the U.S., and spread disinformation on the web. They also continue to threaten the island nation of Taiwan, recently flying over 100 jet fighters over the country.
The actions of these two nations could not be in sharper contrast to those of America and Biden. In the summer of 2021, he orchestrated a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan which resulted in the loss of millions in supplies and 13 American deaths. Despite this, America and China are discussing a future meeting between Xi Jinping and Biden in D.C.. It is safe to say that America would not operate from a position of strength at this summit.
