Pakistan, Nov. 13 -- After months of trench warfare and 84 seemingly endless hours of counting votes, the verdict is finally in: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is the president-elect of the United States. He will take office as the 46thPresident on January 20,2021.

The quadrennial dance of democracy ended exactly the way many had feared: in a deeply divided country and a closer contest than some would have liked. Those who were hoping for a landslide Biden win, as several opinion polls had predicted, were disappointed.

But one thing is certain: the American electorate has delivered a number of clear messages, some of them heartening and others not so encouraging.

First and foremost, it has made Donald Trump a one-term president. He becomes only ...