The former Californian prosecutor used her time in the Senate wisely and as a member of the intelligence committee, she gained expertise
Most Americans pay scant attention to foreign policy and national security issues when voting for president – or so pollsters say. Yet how Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the two possible White House successors to Joe Biden, view the world is of considerable interest to foreign audiences, not least people in Britain who hope, for example, that Keir Starmer’s government will not be faced with collapsing US support for Ukraine, a Russian victory and an existential crisis within Nato.
Such destabilising, dangerous outcomes appear entirely possible should Trump, a neo-isolationist ultranationalist Republican and appeaser of dictators, secure a second term. But how does Harris, who accepted the Democratic party’s nominationin Chicago last week, view the world and its many problems and challenges? If, as we hope, she prevails on 5 November, what Harris thinks and does as leader of the foremost global democracy, economy and military power will have profound, far-reaching impacts.
Anyone glancing at the Democrat’s CV might be forgiven for thinking this former Californian prosecutor and one-term US senator lacks requisite experience and knowledge. In barely disguised misogynistic terms, Trump is already querying her fitness to be commander-in-chief, calling her a “lightweight” with a “low IQ”. Such characterisations are insulting – and plain wrong. Harris used her time in the Senate wisely. As a member of the intelligence committee, she gained expertise in the foreign policy challenges of the future such as AI, cyber-security and space. As vice-president, she led from the front at events such as the Global Summit on AI Safety and the Cop28 climate conference.
In some ways, Harris is a continuity candidate, a bright apprentice who received her foreign policy schooling from the experienced Biden. Yet precisely because she still broadly adheres, for now at least, to his approach to many key global issues, a Harris presidency could yet disappoint the progressive left.
