“To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism
On November 7, 2020, President Joe Biden proclaimed that his administration would “restore the soul of America.” He declared that U.S. voters had given him a mandate “to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country,” and that he plans to use the nation's restored moral le...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | AJIL Unbound |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000902/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811157373649158144 |
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| author | H. Timothy Lovelace |
| author_facet | H. Timothy Lovelace |
| author_sort | H. Timothy Lovelace |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On November 7, 2020, President Joe Biden proclaimed that his administration would “restore the soul of America.” He declared that U.S. voters had given him a mandate “to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country,” and that he plans to use the nation's restored moral leadership to create international consensus around U.S. values and urge foreign nations and intergovernmental institutions to adopt anti-racist agendas. To be sure, Biden's commitment to ending systemic racism is rooted in troubling notions of U.S. exceptionalism and invokes an unfounded anti-racist nostalgia. We should never “restore” America's racial past. Nevertheless, Biden's commitment is, in many ways, refreshing and raises a crucial and productive question: how might the United States recalibrate the international legal order and address systemic racism within Biden's framework? One straightforward and pragmatic answer emerges: the Biden administration should live up to the standards of those who inspired his campaign's mission. In other words, truly improving the racial order at home might be a viable way to advance anti-racism abroad, including through existing international institutions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:06:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c1a3e3835e924214abe7c4043ef4537f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-7723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:06:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AJIL Unbound |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1a3e3835e924214abe7c4043ef4537f2023-03-09T12:27:09ZengCambridge University PressAJIL Unbound2398-77232021-01-01115636810.1017/aju.2020.90“To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-RacismH. Timothy Lovelace0Professor of Law and John Hope Franklin Scholar, Duke University School of Law, Durham, North Carolina, United States.On November 7, 2020, President Joe Biden proclaimed that his administration would “restore the soul of America.” He declared that U.S. voters had given him a mandate “to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country,” and that he plans to use the nation's restored moral leadership to create international consensus around U.S. values and urge foreign nations and intergovernmental institutions to adopt anti-racist agendas. To be sure, Biden's commitment to ending systemic racism is rooted in troubling notions of U.S. exceptionalism and invokes an unfounded anti-racist nostalgia. We should never “restore” America's racial past. Nevertheless, Biden's commitment is, in many ways, refreshing and raises a crucial and productive question: how might the United States recalibrate the international legal order and address systemic racism within Biden's framework? One straightforward and pragmatic answer emerges: the Biden administration should live up to the standards of those who inspired his campaign's mission. In other words, truly improving the racial order at home might be a viable way to advance anti-racism abroad, including through existing international institutions.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000902/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | H. Timothy Lovelace “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism AJIL Unbound |
| title | “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism |
| title_full | “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism |
| title_fullStr | “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism |
| title_full_unstemmed | “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism |
| title_short | “To Restore the Soul of America”: How Domestic Anti-Racism Might Fuel Global Anti-Racism |
| title_sort | to restore the soul of america how domestic anti racism might fuel global anti racism |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000902/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT htimothylovelace torestorethesoulofamericahowdomesticantiracismmightfuelglobalantiracism |