At Davos yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was possibly breathing in his own fumes, as he explained how the world is begging for U.S. leadership: “There’s a greater premium than there’s ever been on our engagement, on our leadership, in partnership with others. I’m hearing from virtually every country: They want the United States. They want us present, they want us at the table, they want us leading.”
It sounds delusional, but he had an explanation. Others countries are being won over by the change for the better in the U.S. They are watching the domestic investments that President Biden is making in the U.S., such as funding of major infrastructure projects and “climate technology,” and they have come to realize that “we’re actually serious about ourselves, despite some of the dysfunction that may be seen on the front pages.”
It may be a narrative on steroids, but the good news is that Blinken seems to recognize that, were the U.S. to become “serious about ourselves,” it would generate serious attention around the world.
