Global leadership challenges us all

In the Australian Financial Review today are two articles that aptly capture the dichotomy on leadership facing the world as we think about the challenges facing the post-pandemic world. In the first by Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China and a tireless advocate of a tempered Australian disposition towards China, the headline is 'For Xi, 2022 is the year of destiny' and it concludes 'Xi will need to manage many challenges on his road to destiny in 2022, but he can rely on broad popular support, settled internal politics, and continuing strong economic performance to get him there. The West will need to deal with a China that views the rest of the world with increasing disdain, indifference, and arrogance. The world order has passed the tipping point.'

By contrast the article 'Biden's leadership lapse killed Build Back Better' by Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, says 'Biden... is a likeable and accommodating fellow. He built genuine friendships on both sides of the aisle during his 36 years in the Senate. He prides himself on his ability to use his personality and willingness to compromise to good effect behind closed doors. For Biden this is leadership. Genuine leadership, however, is different. Successful political leaders make clear statements of direction, provide specific proposals to move in that direction and compel people to join them through artful rhetoric and hard-knuckled politics. That often requires negotiations around the edges...'

The contrast is stark and makes very clear that we in the rest-of-the-world need to adapt to such a dichotomy of global powers. And that is even before we add Russia and other nuclear powers to the mix. What I think we can all conclude is that we need to develop a far more sophisticated and less transparent approach to achieve survival and prosperity in the years ahead. We can start by relegating the Beijing Winter Olympics to a secondary consideration and focus instead on how we work with a dominant China to achieve our own goals while remaining conscious of their implacable pursuit of theirs.