Rebuilding from debris: On Joe Biden securing certified results

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has officially secured enough certified results across States to cross the critical threshold of 270 electors in the Electoral College. That all but guarantees that he will be the 46th President. While there is lingering but near-zero chance of incumbent President Donald Trump overturning the results through legal challenges targeting mail-in ballots, it may be safe to assume that the Electoral College will carry out, on December 14, an uncontroversial confirmation that the Biden-Harris ticket won the 2020 presidential election, and that the Biden administration will take charge after Inauguration Day next month. However, there is little doubt that seeing the bitter 2020 election campaign through to victory is but the start of what is sure to be an arduous journey for Mr. Biden, who, at 78, will have to work tirelessly toward two goals: first, to undo the damage done over four years to domestic and international institutions, alliances, and strategic goals; and second, to heal the bitter polarisation of American politics along partisan lines, a phenomenon that appeared to peak through the harsh Trump years. At the top of the domestic policy agenda will be combating the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., which has recorded the most infection cases globally and the highest fatalities too. The science-driven policy that Mr. Biden has promised to follow must be expediently put into action, for everything from mask-wearing mandates to an effective vaccine distribution plan. The economy will be a close second, requiring even more stimulus packages, backed by Congress, that kick-start the flagging job market and incentivise businesses to start humming with activity again.