Trusting America

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Back in May 2017, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the days of Europe being able to depend on the U.S. were “to some extent” over. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan without heeding the views of its allies compounds that sense of unreliability — and the consequences are already being felt. Vice President Kamala Harris issued reassurances over the U.S. [commitment]( to Asia today on the first leg of a trip to Singapore and Vietnam, where her agenda was overtaken by questions about the ongoing evacuations from Kabul airport. Her attempt to project President Joe Biden’s assertion that “America is back” after four years of Donald Trump has been made all the harder by the Afghan crisis. Even the perception of a disconnect between American rhetoric and reality leaves an opening for China to shift the center of gravity in its backyard. The manner of the U.S. exit may also prompt Europe to rethink its strategic focus. Take the Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which the U.S. opposes on the grounds that it increases dependence on Moscow. It’s due for [completion]( as soon as the end of this month anyway, with Merkel’s one concession a pledge to maintain Europe’s energy security. Biden faces further international headwinds with fellow Group of Seven leaders likely to press him for commitments on Afghanistan in a call scheduled for tomorrow. The president [acknowledged]( yesterday that he may be forced to push back his Aug. 31 deadline for leaving Kabul. Biden’s approval ratings have already taken a hit. The knock to global views of American dependability is only just becoming apparent. — [Alan Crawford]( Afghans wait to board a U.S. military aircraft at the airport in Kabul on Aug. 19. Photographer: Shakib Rahmani/AFP/Getty Images Click [here]( to follow Bloomberg Politics on Facebook and tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines Unity struggle | Biden’s $4.1 trillion economic agenda, after progress in the Senate, faces a key test this week in the U.S. House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi must keep her fractious Democratic Party moving in lockstep. She needs to stop tension between progressives and centrists among her narrow majority from [derailing]( the push of the president’s two-part project through Congress. Alibaba spotlight | China has begun [investigating]( Hangzhou’s top government official for serious disciplinary violations, focusing on the city that is home to Jack Ma’s Ant Group and Alibaba. Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has stepped up a yearslong campaign against graft that’s ensnared several high-profile officials. Xi’s rhetoric about “common prosperity” is surging, evidence of the Communist Party’s commitment to closing the country’s yawning wealth gap. The phrase has [appeared]( 65 times in his speeches and meetings so far this year, compared with 30 in all of last year. Fresh blow | Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga suffered a new [setback]( amid criticism of his pandemic management, when his favored candidate lost an election for mayor in the city where he began his political career. Hachiro Okonogi’s loss will cloud Suga’s prospects in a looming party leadership poll and a general election that must be held by the end of November. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [First Covid Immobilized Us, Now Governments Are: Tyler Cowen]( - [World Must Show Afghan Girls They Aren’t Forgotten: Gordon Brown]( - [Malaysia’s New Leader Carries Old Baggage: Daniel Moss]( Sudden departure | The surprise resignation of Sweden’s Stefan Lofven brings the largest Nordic economy a step closer to its [first-ever]( female prime minister, Harvard-educated Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson. She is the front-runner in the race to win the leadership of the Social Democrats ahead of a party congress starting Nov. 3, and whoever is chosen will become premier if confirmed by parliament. Hunger season | The southern region of Madagascar is on the brink of a severe humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands struggle to cope with the most severe [drought]( since 1981. Insufficient rains for two years have left people resorting to eating locusts, raw red cactus fruits and wild leaves to survive, according to a United Nations agency. What to Watch This Week - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will try to [persuade]( Biden against reviving a nuclear deal with Iran when the two leaders hold their first meeting in Washington on Thursday. - South African police are on [alert]( after messages on various social media platforms called for a repeat of the countrywide violence that left more than 300 people dead during a week of riots last month. - Groupe Castel has started an [inquiry]( into a report that a unit of the French beverage maker aided militia accused of “mass atrocities” in the Central African Republic in exchange for the security of its sugar assets. - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has asked the Senate to [impeach]( Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who’s targeting him and his allies for alleged attacks against democracy. - Hakainde Hichilema will be [inaugurated]( as president of Zambia tomorrow. Thanks to the 30 people who answered Friday’s pop quiz and congratulations to Joel Omonze, who was the first to identify Zambia as the country where the opposition leader scored a shock landslide victory in the nation’s presidential election, in his sixth attempt. And finally ... The roll-out of a third dose of the Covid vaccine has [sparked]( ethical and political debates, since a large swath of the human population is yet to receive any inoculation at all. But as [Jason Gale]( explains, the case for boosters on scientific grounds is building. And the reason is the delta variant.[​​​​​​]( Peter Hotez is the co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.  Like Balance of Power? [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. 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