Harris Can’t Ignore Foreign Policy Even If Voters Do
The Democratic candidate faces three hurdles as she tries to define her role on the world stage.
Passing the test?
Photographer: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images
Foreign policy is rarely the dominant issue in US presidential elections. But it does, invariably, matter at the margins, and in a close race the margins can matter quite a lot. The electorate, moreover, isn’t the only important audience: What a contender does as a candidate powerfully shapes global expectations of what he or she will do in office. As Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign against former President Donald Trump ramps up, she faces three foreign policy tests.
First, and most electorally important, is the commander in chief test. Americans don’t expect their president to be a diplomatic or military mastermind. They do expect serious candidates to have the basic skill, temperament and judgment to lead the country and its armed forces in a complex world.