The News
The Kremlin reacted gingerly to US President Joe Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris after he dropped out of the 2024 election race.
“In recent years, what has been happening in the United States has taught us not to be surprised by anything,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, adding he could not comment on Harris’ potential nomination because Moscow had noticed no contribution to the US’ Russia policy from her besides some instances of “unfriendly rhetoric,” Reuters reported.
Harris’ position as the frontrunner to be the Democratic presidential nominee has prompted questions in Washington — and from the US’ friends and enemies around the world — about what foreign policy would look like under a Harris administration, especially in key areas like support for Ukraine, Israel, and trade with China.
SIGNALS
Supporting Ukraine is likely to be a priority for Harris
Harris would likely continue to show strong support for Ukraine as president, Politico noted. She has previously appeared at international conferences and met several times with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “prove herself on the global stage and reiterate support for Kyiv,” the Kyiv Independent added, and a key point in her rhetoric — likely a legacy of her experience as a lawyer and attorney general of California — has been calls to “make Russia pay,” both metaphorically and literally, for their actions in Ukraine.
On China, Harris hasn’t shown much daylight between her and Biden
A Harris administration would likely follow Biden’s lead in China, but perhaps take a slightly more hawkish approach, like increasing tariffs on Chinese goods to counter Trump’s protectionist goals, experts told South China Morning Post. Harris is also considered tougher on human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and on the US’ strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, than Biden. More broadly, there’s not a lot of clarity as to what stance a potential President Harris would take on China, as she “had not shown any distinctive policy vision as vice-president as there was ‘no daylight’ between her views and Biden’s,” an analyst said.
Harris may prove tougher than Biden on Israel
On Israel, Harris is expected to inherit Biden’s policy of support for the country, Al Jazeera noted. She has repeatedly supported Israel’s right to defend itself, and she is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this week. “I traveled with her to Israel, and I saw firsthand her deep understanding of the [US-Israel] relationship and her support for Israel’s security,” Halie Sofer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, who served as Harris’ national security adviser in the Senate, told Semafor. But unlike Biden, Harris has also been outspoken in calling out the violence in Gaza, describing the conflict as a “humanitarian catastrophe,” and calling on Israel to “do more” to protect civilians — which may galvanize voters who have taken issue with the current president’s staunchly pro-Israel stance, Politico added.
With reporting from Mathias Hammer