Kamala Harris's foreign policy unknown

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - While Trump's uncertainty was anticipated, international observers still lack sufficient information to assess Harris's foreign policy if the Democratic candidate is elected US president.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris in November 2021 (Photo: AFP).

With the US presidential election less than two months away (November 5th), analysts around the world are asking: What will the foreign policy of the next administration be like? With Trump, the world has four years of experience. While the former US president is considered "unpredictable," this instability has been anticipated. Meanwhile, the world's understanding of Harris's policy remains relatively vague. Although she has held several foreign policy positions under President Joe Biden's administration, observers cannot yet pinpoint specific issues where Harris might have a different policy stance than Biden if she wins. In fact, as vice president, Harris has considerable foreign policy experience. If she becomes president, her experience will be far richer than that of several previous US presidents such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. As Vice President of the United States, Harris met with dozens of world leaders, represented the U.S. at global conferences and events, and received daily intelligence briefings for the president. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, Harris revealed she had shared intelligence with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Russian activities just before Moscow launched its special military operation in 2022. Democrats highlighted her role in the recent prisoner exchange agreement between the U.S. and Russia. With numerous visits to the Indo- Pacific region over the years, Harris contributed to strengthening and expanding the U.S. network of allies in the region. She also spearheaded efforts to address the root causes of illegal immigration through aid to Latin America. "She's not a foreign policy expert. However, there's no doubt that she plays an active role in many foreign affairs issues," Ian Bremmer, president of the political consulting firm Eurasia Group, told Slate . Harris's advisors and foreign officials who have interacted with her say that Harris always seeks to learn about foreign policy from practical experience, according to CNN . A former senior advisor said she often brings thick stacks of documents home and asks her assistants a series of questions. Even so, observers have yet to pinpoint the differences between Harris's and Biden's policies. For the past four years, as running mate, Harris's role has been to support the White House's policies rather than to express her own views. If she does, these opinions are usually only disseminated through internal channels. Of the issues where Harris and Biden's views differ, the war in Gaza is perhaps the most widely discussed. Progressive voters expect Harris to reduce her support for Israel and pay more attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people. However, according to Halie Soifer, who served as national security advisor when Harris was a senator, speaking to Vox , the differences between Harris and Biden on the Gaza issue are relatively small. "I think the policy won't change," she said. "We only see a few differences in how they talk about the conflict. Vice President Harris, on the one hand, reaffirms the commitment to Israel and its security, and on the other hand, shows greater empathy for the innocent Palestinian people." Slate, which previously published information from sources close to Harris, revealed that the Vice President disagrees with Biden's ideologically driven foreign policy. According to Harris, this perspective is quite simplistic and could even lead to misguided policies because the US is sometimes forced to choose allies. In fact, Harris's foreign policy stance has also shifted in recent years. Back in 2020, she declared her support for "cutting the defense budget and allocating that money to those who need it." Now, she's committed to "ensuring America has the strongest, most formidable fighting force in the world." However, campaign statements don't fully reflect a candidate's policies after becoming president. Some analysts point out that during his 2020 campaign, President Biden promised to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. Nevertheless, after winning the election, Biden considered cooperation with Riyadh a central element of his Middle East policy. Former President Barack Obama opposed U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Nevertheless, he is remembered as the leader who increased the use of drones – a top-of-the-line controversial tool of the U.S. military – as well as the campaigns to overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and kill terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden. To be fair, sometimes U.S. presidents cannot foresee all the unexpected events that will occur. Former President George W. Bush had pledged a "modest" foreign policy, reducing military intervention abroad. But the 9/11 attacks changed everything. Therefore, Harris's foreign policy will only be able to take shape after she becomes the occupant of the White House – in case she can defeat Trump. "For any administration, foreign policy priorities are largely shaped by events," Soifer observed.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/an-so-chinh-sach-doi-ngoai-cua-ba-kamala-harris-20240916081742298.htm