Political Scientist: Harris Will Be A Problem For Lukashenka And Putin
- 23.07.2024, 16:34
Russian propaganda is already more afraid of her than of Hillary Clinton in 2016.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will most likely become the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.
How will the presidential race change? Charter97.org spoke with Slovak political scientist and President of the Institute of Public Affairs (IVO) (Bratislava) Grigorij Mesežnikov:
— As for the content of this campaign, I think there will be no big changes. Until now, we have seen confrontation between the two parties.
As for the Democrats, they will now tailor this campaign to Harris's personal characteristics. This could complicate the situation for Trump's team. After all, they have already taken advantage of Joe Biden's physical condition, actively campaigning on it. Now the situation is changing. Harris is a very energetic, young (compared to Trump) person.
Trump's team will now develop some kind of strategy to counter Kamala Harris. I think they will pedal themes related to identity, multiculturalism, attitudes towards migrants, etc.
By the way, today I read a rather harsh statement by Harris about Trump, that he is a “convicted criminal”, and she was a prosecutor, fighting criminals. Harris can use this element more expressively in her campaign.
— What to expect from Kamala Harris if she manages to become the President of the United States?
— She has not yet become an official candidate, we need to wait. It is also very important who will be her vice president. This is important from the point of view of support, because if the one who becomes vice president has specific characteristics, then this can either help or harm her in different segments.
Let me explain: now there are suggestions that her candidate for vice president will be Josh Shapiro. His Jewish origin may, on the one hand, calm the voters of the Democratic Party, among whom there are many Jews, but in some “swing states” it may have a negative effect due to the sharply anti-Israeli position of many voters of Arab origin or Muslim faith.
If we talk about what kind of president Harris will be, then in domestic policy she will support everything related to the implementation of human rights, in particular — the rights of women, migrants, etc.
As for international policy, I think that she will continue Biden's policy in its main contours: cooperation with Europe, support for NATO allies and Ukraine. As for Israel, it is in the strategic interests of the United States to have such an ally in the Middle East, so its support is expected from the new Democratic administration.
Let's see, anything can happen. But she is a person with a predictable line, which distinguishes her from the unpredictable Trump. Does he himself believe in what he says?
— Will she be a problem for the regimes of Lukashenka and Putin?
— I believe she will. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Russian channels are calling Harris almost a fiend. They are even more afraid of her than they were of Hillary Clinton in 2016. This is telling.
The democratic forces of Belarus can hope that support will be at the current level, and may even increase. Concrete steps will be taken to weaken the Lukashenka regime and su