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State of affairs: On Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address

United States President Joe Biden knows he must focus on both the U.S. economy and global challenges

In his second State of the Union address, U.S. President Joe Biden tried to articulate (स्पष्ट, व्यक्त) several messages under one big theme — his administration was committed to rebuilding America’s economy while standing up to its challenges abroad. Much of the 72-minute speech was on the domestic agenda, particularly his economic optimism (आशावाद). The speech saw self-appreciation, ideas and rhetoric — he took pride in his economic policies, emphasising the low unemployment rate and easing inflation (मुद्रास्फीति), repeated the calls for taxing the super rich and bringing down prices of essential drugs, promised not to cut Social Security and Medicare and declared that democracies have become stronger and autocracies (निरंकुशता, एकतंत्र) weaker. While there was no major policy shift, the 80-year-old President repeated the phrase “finish the job”, indicating that he needed more time to build on what he has already done — seen as a pitch (The quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone) for his re-election campaign. Mr. Biden also referred to Russia and China as key foreign policy challenges — the Ukraine invasion (आक्रमण, हस्तक्षेप) as “a test for America”, and that America “will act to protect our country” if its sovereignty (संप्रभुता, प्रभुत्व) is threatened, an indirect reference to the balloon incident.

If Mr. Biden used the speech to defend his legacy and lay his vision, it also laid bare his administration’s critical challenges. To be sure, the unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since 1969 — to 3.4% in January 2023 — and inflation continued to ease in the month. Still, most Americans (58% as in a recent survey), burdened by high energy prices and slow growth in wages, remain unhappy with his handling of the economy. The President may have plans for re-election, but only 37% Democrats back him. Mr. Biden will also face growing resistance to his policies from Congress in a Republican-controlled House. On foreign policy, the U.S. has so far stood resolutely (दृढ़तापूर्वक) behind Ukraine, but, as the war grinds on, there are rising questions about a possible endgame. A bigger challenge for Mr. Biden is how to handle ties with China at a time when the two superpowers compete for global influence. The balloon incident suggests that it is not an easy task. Half of Mr. Biden’s first term is over. As the election season is heating up, time is running short and his task is cut out — he has to act more decisively (निर्णायक तरह से) on the economic front if he wants to build a fair order of competition and opportunities, work towards ending the war in Ukraine without compromising on America’s standing in Europe, and put in place stronger guardrails (A rail that prevents people from falling off or being hit by something) in U.S.-China relations to check an escalation (वृद्धि, प्रसार) in tensions and deterioration (The process of becoming progressively worse) in ties.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Articulate (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट, व्यक्त
English Meaning - Uttered clearly.

2.Optimism (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - आशावाद
English Meaning - An attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavour.

3.Rehtoric (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - वक्रपटुता, भाषण कला
English Meaning - The art or ability to use language effectively.

4.Inflation (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुद्रास्फीति
English Meaning - A continuous rise in the price level related attributed to an increase in the volume of money.

5.Autocracy (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - निरंकुशता, एकतंत्र
English Meaning - a system of government by one person with absolute power.

6.Invasion (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - आक्रमण, हस्तक्षेप
English Meaning - An instance of the entrance to take possession.

7.Sovereignty (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - संप्रभुता, प्रभुत्व
English Meaning - The quality of a state having supreme authority.

8.Resolutely (Adverb)

Hindi Meaning - दृढ़तापूर्वक
English Meaning - In an admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering manner.

9.Decisively (Adverb)

Hindi Meaning - निर्णायक तरह से
English Meaning - In a way that shows the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.

10.Escalation (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - वृद्धि, प्रसार
English Meaning - An increase in intensity.

11.Pitch (Noun)

English Meaning - The quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.

12.Guardrails (Noun)

English Meaning - A rail that prevents people from falling off or being hit by something.

13.Deterioration (Noun)

English Meaning - The process of becoming progressively worse.