Biden Forms 'Corona TF' as First Step of Transition Team...Is He Starting to Rebuild Global Leadership?

Making COVID-19 Eradication the New Government's Top Priority
Aiming to Rebuild Global Leadership through International COVID-19 Cooperation
Paris Climate Agreement and U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Germany Also Expected to Be Canceled

[Image source=Website of Biden President-elect Transition Committee]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] President-elect Joe Biden of the United States announced the COVID-19 task force (TF) as the very first step upon launching the transition team. The reason Biden chose COVID-19 as the top priority is interpreted as addressing domestic issues such as massive damage and economic recovery, as well as rebuilding the U.S.'s global leadership that was damaged during the Donald Trump administration. It is expected that by actively engaging in international cooperation to combat COVID-19, the U.S. will restore its global leadership and the weakened Atlantic alliance system, and subsequently resolve regional and national challenges.

On the 9th (local time), Biden held a press conference in Wilmington, Delaware, where he resides, stating, "We are still facing a dark winter. Bold measures are needed to fight this pandemic," and announced the formation of a COVID-19 TF composed of experts within the transition team. Biden emphasized, "The COVID-19 TF will advise on detailed plans on how to fight the virus based on science."

The COVID-19 TF includes 13 health experts serving as advisory members. Among them, three will serve as co-chairs: David Kessler, former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Vivek Murthy, former head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC); and Marcella Nunez-Smith, professor at Yale School of Medicine. Also included among the advisors is Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at the Department of Health and Human Services, who resigned after raising concerns about the Trump administration's COVID-19 response.

Bright previously opposed the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria treatment praised by President Trump, as a COVID-19 treatment, which led to retaliatory personnel actions transferring him to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He submitted a whistleblower complaint in May and was excluded from duties before resigning.

After introducing the TF advisory members, Biden explained, "The advisors will help manage surges in infections, verify the safety and efficacy of vaccines, ensure efficient and equitable free distribution, and assist in protecting those at risk."

He also called the news that Pfizer, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, announced interim results from the Phase 3 clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine co-developed with German biotech company BioNTech showing 90% efficacy as "great news." Biden stated, "However, even if the vaccine is approved, it will be difficult to widely distribute it for several months," and urged, "Please wear masks to return to normal as soon as possible."

Biden's announcement of the COVID-19 TF as the first activity of the transition team and prioritizing COVID-19 response is interpreted as linked not only to health policy but also to the global leadership restoration agenda in foreign policy.

Anthony Blinken, Biden's foreign policy advisor and former Deputy Secretary of State, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the same day, "The first issue to be addressed both domestically and internationally is COVID-19," emphasizing, "Urgent international leadership is required regarding COVID-19." Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), also stated, "COVID-19 should be viewed from a national security perspective and prioritized," adding, "If we fail to control COVID-19, it will be difficult to create the social, political, and economic conditions necessary to address traditional foreign policy challenges."

WSJ analyzed, "President-elect Biden will rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO) and lead the Group of Seven (G7) and Group of Twenty (G20) summits to restore U.S. global leadership through COVID-19 eradication," and "International cooperation to combat COVID-19 is also expected to restore the Atlantic alliance weakened during the Trump administration." During the election campaign, Biden pledged to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, which Trump withdrew from, and to quickly review and halt the Trump administration's plan to withdraw 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.