There would be general relief among some longstanding allies at a change in Washington and Biden has familiarity with leaders as former President Barack Obama's deputy.
At the same time, the relentlessly chaotic drama of Trump's White House and the long slog of the pandemic means expectations are already adjusted to a subdued but determined post-election period. It will be hard work for countries everywhere to recover from the coronavirus.
Biden would have such a huge domestic programme - the pandemic, economy, job creation, climate, racial justice reform - that his focus would be heavily focused on his back yard. There is a strong "made in America" theme to his jobs plans which include infrastructure investment and self-reliance on essential medical equipment.
Restoring old alliances to better health will be crucial to Biden's foreign policy approach, and a 180 degree turn on the Paris accord and World Health Organisation would be early steps.
Should he win re-election, Trump's hardball "America First" bilateral approach would presumably continue.
Trump has said he wants to bring remaining troops back from Afghanistan and the US reached a deal earlier this year with the Taliban. Violence has continued regardless.
New agreements, shepherded by the Trump Administration, normalising relations between Israel and other Middle East countries are something Trump or Biden would probably build on. And the enhanced focus on the Quad defence group of the US, India, Japan and Australia to check China will likely continue.
Biden is sure to pressure other countries on climate change.
Senior adviser Antony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state, told a US podcast 85 per cent of global emissions were produced from other countries, meaning an international agenda was needed. Passing a major climate package through Congress would "strengthen our hand".
Blinken also spoke of a proposal to hold a summit of democracies to discuss common challenges such as corruption.
Reuters reports that Biden would consult allies before making a decision on the Trump Administration's tariffs on China in a bid for "collective leverage," one adviser said.
"The failure of the Trump Administration has been to go it alone. And that has given China an escape hatch," Biden aide Jeffrey Prescott said.
A second term Trump Administration would also have to decide what to do about the China tariffs.
Biden would want to cooperate with China on issues such as the climate crisis and North Korea. Biden would most likely try to bring back a collective approach to dealing with Iran and North Korea on nuclear issues.
Trump pulled the US out of a multi-power nuclear pact with Iran and instituted his "maximum pressure" campaign against the country. Should Trump be returned, there would be a strong likelihood of further conflict with Tehran.
"Getting through a second Trump term without a war with Iran would be a small miracle," Benjamin Friedman, policy director at Defence Priorities, told CNBC.
