By Irene Anastasiadis
Boston University News Service
This presidential election will undoubtedly have global impacts and consequences. The next elected president will be pivotal in overseeing foreign policy issues ranging from immigration to international conflict.
The American people can choose a candidate that will either worsen or improve the current climate crisis and strengthen or weaken allied partnerships. The state of the war in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the tensions with China, are all uncertain as Americans line up in their communities to vote or mail in their ballots.
There is a lot at stake for each American, but the stakes are high for the rest of the world, as well. According to multiple sources, such as the World Population Review, the United States remains as the most powerful nation in the world.
In September’s presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debated various foreign policy issues like immigration and border security, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the war in Ukraine, withdrawal from Afghanistan and global climate change.
Viewers couldn’t fully understand each candidate’s plan on various foreign policy issues in a two-hour debate with consistent bickering, false statements and accusations; however, public events like this can help gauge where a candidate stands on these issues.
For example, Trump’s campaign heavily relies on a firm stance on immigration and border security. This can be backed by his viral “eating the cats and dogs” quote from the presidential debate in September.
“What they [the Biden Administration] have done to our country by allowing these millions and millions of people to come into our country, and look at what’s happening to the towns all over the United States,” Trump said. “In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats, they are eating the pets of the people that live there.”
While this claim was refuted by the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, Trump said he hopes to deport more than 11 million undocumented immigrants using the local police and the National Guard if he has to.
On the other hand, the Biden-Harris administration has reinstated, expanded and renewed different programs to help combat the influx of immigrants. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, these include the guest worker visa program, the Access to Counsel Act, expanding green card access and more. Harris also supported a border security bill that would have “put more resources to allow [the state] to prosecute transnational criminal organizations for trafficking in guns, drugs and human beings,” Harris said during the same debate.
These decisions directly impact the lives of every immigrant in America and those hoping to immigrate to the country.
A big conflict in the minds of many Americans and people worldwide is the Israel-Hamas war. Harris said she would support a ceasefire and a two-state solution if elected.
During the debate, Harris also assured the people that she would “always give Israel the ability to defend itself in particular as it relates to Iran and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel.”
Trump, on the other hand, said he would “get that settled fast,” in response.
Sanne Verschuren, assistant professor of international security at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, said she has concerns regarding how foreign policy issues will be handled post-election. Her focus remains on three important parts of America’s international relations: the security competition with China, future relationships with allies and partners and the resolution of major global conflicts.
“Half of the world is on fire at this point,” Verschuren said. “So whoever becomes elected will have to decide how and when the U.S. will wield its influence in resolving some of these conflicts.”
Although these international conflicts impact important demographics in the U.S., Verschuren said she doesn’t think this will sway votes. Instead, she said it could potentially suppress voter turnout.
Verschuren explained that Harris and Trump will approach these conflicts very differently. Trump has said he will fix everything quickly, though that might be unrealistic. The Harris campaign’s approach, on the other hand, is still unclear. Will they continue Biden’s policies or choose a different path in handling these conflicts? However, Verschuren said this uncertainty is completely normal at this stage.
“Policy isn’t just made by the president, it is also made by all the people that the president brings in. All the political appointees, the people in the White House, the balance of power,” Verschuren said.
She said that people should not just about the presidential election, but also what will happen in Congress “because that could put major limits on whoever is elected as president can or cannot do.”
Regardless of who wins the presidential election today, the world will be watching and waiting to hear what the president-elect decides to do regarding foreign policy.
