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BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–The Biden administration will have a different approach to running the country, based not only on differences in political party, but a philosophy on how to show our might in the world and get along with our allies, say political science, law and history professors with Indiana University.

“We do see a different approach here, what political scientists might call soft power, versus hard power, and Biden clearly wants to use an example that will attract people and regain allies,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bennion, a political science professor at IU South Bend.

She and four other professors analyzed Pres. Biden’s inaugural speech Wednesday afternoon in a panel discussion.

“That really is a stark contrast to the outgoing president’s recent speech where he argued that showing power is what made us a leader in the world,” she noted.

Bennion pointed to part of the speech’s theme, which was unity.

“I think that was a really important point, given the divisions we see in our nation and given the recent attck on the Capitol, to say look, I understand that we don’t agree, but we have big challenges to face and we need to come together to face them.”

Prof. Ray Haberski, a history professor at IUPUI, talked about that attack, which Biden addressed frankly in his speech.

“We recognize the entire world was not only watching his inaugural address to see how he would broach some of these subjects, but had been taking in the last four years and the last two weeks and the repair that we have to do about the reputation, the idea of the reputation that the United States has,” he said.

Haberski said Biden was entreating the other people on Capitol Hill to help with that repair.

Professor Emerita of Political Science Margie Hershey, of IU Bloomington, said part of the speech was about how fragile America’s democracy is.

“American democracy has never been guaranteed,” she said. “It will never be guaranteed. It has to be nurtured every single day by not necessarily all of us, but enough of us.”

She said it wasn’t the first inauguration to happen under threat to democracy and it won’t be the last. Like Biden, she said democracy prevailed.