Vice President Kamala Harris says she believes the United States must lead by building alliances to manage conflicts. Former President Donald Trump says that through a show of force and through unpredictability, he can stop wars before they start. VOA correspondent Patsy Widakuswara spoke with experts about which foreign policy approaches might be most effective in reducing conflict as wars continue in the Middle East and Europe.
In January 2025, Americans will have a new president, who will have a leading role in defining the geostrategic interests of the United States, as well as being the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful armed forces.
"I don't make wars. I had no wars, except for ISIS, which I defeated, but even that was a war that had already started. We had no wars. I stopped them with a phone call," said former President Trump.
He never clarified how he would stop the wars.
During President Joe Biden's tenure, Russia attacked Ukraine and the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah attacked Israel, prompting a bloody year-long military response by Israel. During the term of former President Trump, no important wars started and he did not involve the United States in new armed conflicts. His supporters call it 'peace through strength'.
Democrats say this was a coincidence and that at the end of former President Trump's term, US forces were still fighting in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The unpredictability of former President Trump also plays a role in the equation.
"The idea that pretending, or being willing to be 'crazy' in foreign policy and fight back mercilessly was a way of power matters. And unpredictability in this sense can be a virtue," says historian Thomas Schwartz, from Vanderbilt University.
Critics say former President Trump's unpredictability, combined with his self-centeredness, is dangerous in a nuclear-armed world.
Unpredictability can also complicate the process of conflict management.
"A good deal of de-escalation and diplomacy currently depends on choreography, and choreography must be predictable. So if you know what the opponent is going to do with the next move, you can get things close to the target, but not over it," says researcher Laura Blumenfeld, of Johns Hopkins University.
On the diplomatic front, Vice President Harris is seen as more traditional. Like President Joe Biden, she believes in multilateralism and building alliances to maintain the leadership role of the United States.
"As vice president, I have confronted threats to our security, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened our alliances, and engaged with our brave military personnel deployed overseas. As commander-in-chief, I will ensure that America always has the most powerful fighting force in the world," said Vice President Harris.
But like former President Trump, Vice President Harris may have to choose which conflicts will require an American military response. The United States is no longer the world's only superpower.
"Candidates Trump and Harris do not ignore the fact that power is being redistributed in the international system, that other countries also have influence, that Russia and China have their own views on how the international order should work," says researcher Ellen Laipson, from George Mason University.
The difference, Ms. Laipson says, is that Vice President Harris believes in collective power and will be more willing to bring countries together to solve our problems.
Vice President Harris is expected to continue President Biden's efforts for transatlantic unity in support of Ukraine.
For Gaza, Vice President Harris emphasized the respect of humanitarian laws.
"Donald Trump is telling Prime Minister Netanyahu 'do what you have to do in the Middle East.' Kamala Harris says 'you have the right to self-defense and you should consider the humanitarian crisis for the Palestinians'. Will one of them produce a different result? After all, is anyone listening to the United States?” says researcher Blumenfeld.
As Americans prepare to vote, that will be a tough question to answer, regardless of who wins the election in November.
VOA article
