During the final night of the Democratic National Convention, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech that unusually concentrated on foreign policy. In an effort to establish her national security credentials, Harris asserted, “I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.” She also emphasized the need to outpace China in “the competition for the 21st century,” the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, and the importance of confronting “tyrants” such as Vladimir Putin.
However, the key question remains: How will these high-minded statements translate into actual policy? On Friday, Foreign Policy’s editor-in-chief, Ravi Agrawal, discussed this with Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former State Department official, and Matt Duss, who previously advised Senator Bernie Sanders. When it came to the Israel-Hamas conflict and the stance Harris appeared to convey, the guests had differing opinions. Duss expressed disappointment over Harris’s lack of “specific or forward-leaning” comments on the issue, while Slaughter interpreted her remarks as an effort to maintain party unity: “People are not going to want to divide the party in a way that would prevent her from pursuing a cease-fire and a permanent settlement.”
To gain more insight into Harris’s potential approach to the Middle East and other regions, Foreign Policy turned to columnist Michael Hirsh for an analysis of two recent books by Harris advisors Rebecca Lissner and Philip Gordon. Hirsh concluded that their works outline a new worldview where Washington openly acknowledges its past mistakes and significantly scales back its global ambitions.
In another article exploring Harris’s developing foreign policy, Hirsh suggests that the vice president represents a new generation of national security experts who are well-versed in modern, high-tech threats, which the Cold War generation, represented by President Biden, may be less familiar with. During her Thursday speech, Harris underscored the importance of leading in areas such as space and artificial intelligence—fields in which she has considerable experience, as noted by Bhaskar Chakravorti from Tufts University’s Fletcher School.
Lastly, don’t miss our feature on the 11 men who are currently shaping former President Donald Trump’s potential foreign policy agenda for a possible second term. From Elbridge Colby, who is strongly advocating for a major shift away from Europe, NATO, and Russia, to Robert Lighthizer, the architect of Trump’s well-known trade tariffs, this guide offers a deeper look at the figures influencing Trump’s potential future decisions. After all, no one can truly predict what Trump might do next.
Leave a Reply