The Biden bulldozer is ready to roll on

AS US President-elect Joe Biden takes office in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, in the midst of a deadly pandemic and an economic crisis, against the backdrop of deep racial and cultural divisions, and following the shattering assault on the Capitol, he will be facing massive challenges unlike those that confronted his predecessors, starting with the need to unify the country. Only time will tell if he is up to the task.

That the inauguration of the former vice-president as the 46th president of the US will look so different than those of his predecessors, is another reflection of the sense of distress, if not foreboding, that has enveloped Washington, DC, in recent days. The centre of the city reminds one of a military camp, with fortresses, concrete barriers and security checkpoints, and men armed with ammunition patrolling next to the barricades, surrounding the Capitol next to the platform on which the presidential inauguration will take place.

Past inauguration ceremonies had brought together thousands of Americans to the heart of Washington, DC, ready to celebrate the swearing-in of a new president.