Kamala Harris Made the Most of Her Munich Moment
The vice president just showed a global audience that she could be a strong leader. But reassuring the world about US engagement is beyond her powers.
Commander-in-waiting.
Photographer: Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images
Kamala Harris, vice president of the US, had a marquee moment at the Munich Security Conference this week. What the assembled heads of state, diplomats, military brass and geopolitics wonks wanted from her above all was reassurance. And that she delivered — almost.
The reassurance her audience craved was that the US would honor its alliances and thereby keep deterring its adversaries, from Russia to North Korea and China. That it would stay engaged not only in helping to pacify the Middle East but also in maintaining some modicum of order globally. That the world’s most powerful country will not turn isolationist, but will keep defending democracy, rules and norms. In short, that the US will continue to lead.