The following interview has been originally published by the Green European Journal.

The US election is over and Joe Biden is president-elect. But Donald Trump’s defeat was far from a landslide. What battles lie ahead in US domestic politics? What will a Biden-Harris administration mean for transatlantic relations? With climate denial ejected from the White House, how much should the world expect from the United States on climate? The Green European Journal spoke to Reinhard Bütikofer, Green MEP and spokesperson on relations with the US and China, on what the election means on both sides of the Atlantic.

Green European Journal: This US election has been a nailbiter. It has been far from a landslide for Biden and has gone down to the wire in several states. What does this tell us about the state of the US? …

Trump’s got Corona — What does that mean?

It’s official: This morning President Trump tweeted that he and Melania have tested positive for the Coronavirus. This could indeed be a pivotal moment in this fierce election campaign. In the hottest phase of the campaign it forces Trump to stay at home in quarantine. This is a game-changer.

First, because Trump is a people person. He thrives on big rallies and being in the spotlight. His Covid infection has put an abrupt halt to this. …

“Can you trust the American leadership? Isn’t China possibly more reliable than the United States?”

That’s not a line from a Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, but rather a rhetorical question from Volker Perthes, director of Germany’s most important foreign policy think tank, the Institute for International and Security Affairs, which advises the federal government. Perthes went on to list the Trump administration’s many instances of global disengagement (withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty, and UNESCO) and implicitly answered his own question with a resounding yes.

Something seems rotten in the state of Germany. Having been a central battleground between democracy and communism during the Cold War, the country is embarrassingly quiet in the US-China hegemonic conflict. Under the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Germany has avoided picking sides. Berlin has shied away from taking a tough line on Chinese human rights abuses and opposes excluding Huawei from its 5G network, while continuing to enjoy the US security umbrella. Germany’s economic interests and political skepticism of the United States have stopped it from joining the fray, but the time could be coming where Berlin and Washington look to join forces again. …

The world is at war with a virus. This invisible killer is spreading at a rapid pace, throwing numerous countries into a state of emergency. Governments are fighting the collapse of their health systems and economy.

The coronavirus is dominating world politics. But it is not displacing the power politics of the world. Geopolitical competition does not take a break. On the contrary, the pandemic is an accelerator, reinforcing the fundamental dynamics already at play.

The global power vacuum in the world order is more evident than ever due to the coronavirus. It has demonstrated to a large extent the powerlessness of the United States, a global superpower yet the country most severely affected. A great power that gives the impression that it cannot protect its own society will likewise not be perceived as providing protection internationally. Many countries are desperately looking for orientation, global solidarity, security, and leadership in this crisis. …

Over a decade ago, the world slid into the worst economic and financial crisis since the Great Depression. Governments cobbled together multi-billion dollar economic stimulus packages as a response. This crisis gave birth to the concept of the Green New Deal. The idea of using economic stimulus packages to simultaneously boost the economy and prevent climate change was gaining traction. Unfortunately, few national governments pursued it.

A decade later, the opportunity has re-emerged. The world economy is again — a decade later — standing on the brink of an economic downturn amid climate catastrophe. …

Germany ain’t what it used to be. Long regarded as a beacon of stability, its political landscape is in turmoil. Erfurt has blown the cracks in Germany’s political system wide open. It’s in this small city that a liberal Free Democrat (FDP) was elected state premier of Thuringia with the joint votes of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The CDU and FDP voting alongside the Thuringia AfD, the most extreme branch of the AfD, was a watershed moment; a political earthquake that shook the entire republic.

“Good old times” don’t last forever

It has taken its toll. The CDU’s and FDP’s public image is tarnished. The reputation of Christian Lindner, leader of the Free Democrats, is in free fall. Having been unable to control the situation, Chancellor Merkel’s heir apparent, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has announced she will step down as leader of the CDU and won’t run for chancellor. …

Australia seems to be a continent of contradictions. It is one of the countries most affected by climate change, currently fighting terrible bushfires, and yet it is also one of the worst-performing countries when it comes to climate action. Ambitious environmental legislation put into place by the Greens was turned over in 2013 and nothing serious has replaced it since. I spoke to Christine Milne, former Leader of the Australian Green Party, about the bushfires, Australian climate policy, and the future of the Green Party.
This interview was originally published at the Green European Journal.

Not a day goes by without headlines on the terrible bushfires in Australia. Yet, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has argued that these bushfires are nothing new to Australia. Is that the case? …

The world’s political order is in upheaval. China is increasingly seen as posing a systemic challenge that requires a political, economic and technological response. As a result, Europe is being obliged to redefine its own role in relation to the US and China. But the EU’s largest member state, Germany, is finding it difficult to adopt a clear position. I spoke with Janka Oertel of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) about the Sino-American conflict, the 5G dispute and technological sovereignty, and Germany’s role in formulating a new European China policy.

For years, the German economy has benefitted from China’s economic boom, designating China as a strategic partner. But the tide has turned. In a 2019 policy paper, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) describes China as a “systemic rival”. …