Najam Publishes Op-Ed on Biden’s Inauguration Speech
Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an op-ed in The Hill discussing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration speech as well as the challenges his administration faces.
In the article, titled “Biden’s inauguration speech: What a worried world needs to hear,” Najam described the state of the nation Biden will inherit – deeply divided and angry – and the importance of his message to Americans as well as international allies and adversaries.
Najam likened this inauguration to that of 1801, in which Thomas Jefferson addressed a country so divided that international onlookers thought the United States would dissolve into violent. Leaders from around the world will be watching him address the nation, and Najam emphasized that “the most important international message Biden can deliver is one of domestic healing.”
An excerpt:
In these times of great turmoil and grave uncertainties, the world seeks stability more than leadership from the United States. From Pyongyang to Paris to Phnom Penh to Prague, world leaders will be listening for the same thing that the citizens in Peoria, Ill., will: that he understands the gravity of America’s domestic divisions and is ready, willing and able to address them.
The full op-ed can be read on The Hill‘s website.
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who also served as the Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He is the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and was the former Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Najam on his faculty profile.