Photo/Illutration U.S. President Joe Biden (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the U.S. presidential race has created a test for his party since it was made by a president who has continually warned of a “crisis of democracy.”

The process of selecting the ruling party’s candidate could take some twists and turns, but this is the moment when the resilience of American democracy is being tested.

We hope the process will lead to consensus within the Democratic Party on its new presidential nominee based on substantive policy debate to consolidate the party’s strategic position for November.

As an elder statesman involved in politics for nearly half a century, including serving as vice president, Biden’s hesitation about ending his quest for re-election must have been profound and prolonged.

During last month’s presidential debate, he misspoke about his own policy achievements. His hard-headed decision is likely to be widely accepted as a well-reasoned political action to respond to growing concerns over him continuing in office, both within his party and among his supporters.

Biden is the first sitting president since Lyndon Johnson 56 years ago to voluntarily step aside rather than seek re-election. His withdrawal just before the formal nomination is unprecedented.

With less than a month until the Democratic National Convention, how will the party select the next leader? The international community, which itself is in a state of flux, should closely watch this process of power transfer.

Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his party’s presidential nominee. With a mother from India and a father from Jamaica, she would be the first female president in U.S. history if elected. She is expected to be a new symbol for the effort to rebuild America’s proud, tolerant multicultural society.

However, it is not a few party leaders, including the sitting president, who will decide on the candidate, but about 4,000 delegates who will vote at the party convention. If other individuals step forward, all the candidates should be fairly and justly scrutinized in a transparent and democratic selection process.

If the party falls into internal strife, America’s ability to tackle the intricate and immensely arduous political challenge of repairing a divided society will be jeopardized. The Democrats should deal with the selection process with a keen awareness that the work to deliver on one of Biden’s unfulfilled promises, the path to national reconciliation, should begin with party unity.

Last week’s Republican National Convention formally nominated Donald Trump as the presidential candidate. At the beginning of his convention speech, he said, “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America,” but he quickly returned to his familiar divisive partisan rhetoric, slandering Biden and others and stirring up hatred.

What disappointed America’s allies was Trump’s demonstrated disregard for alliances once again. “We have long been taken advantage of by other countries. And think of it, oftentimes these other countries are considered so-called allies,” he said.

Alarmingly, this rhetoric has been echoed by his vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, who has advocated an isolationist foreign policy.

The Republican policy platform proclaims “peace through strength” while pledging to use the greatest military power solely for America’s national interests, clearly highlighting its “America First” policy agenda.

We hope that whoever becomes the Democratic Party’s official nominee will provide a strong counter-narrative to the Republican’s inward-looking stance.

European security and Middle East issues are not as simple as Trump suggests. Global challenges like arms control and climate change cannot be resolved without collaboration among the major powers.

We really hope for the continuation of Biden’s diplomacy, which values international cooperation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 23