Vice President Kamala Harris is firmly backing President Biden’s diplomacy-focused strategy in the Middle East as the region edges closer to wider conflict. This stance stands in stark contrast to the more aggressive tactics being advocated by former President Donald Trump .
According to a statement from a Harris aide cited in an Axios report, “She is still the sitting vice president and stands by the administration’s policies in the Middle East.” Harris’s support for Biden’s approach comes at a time when she may soon face multiple global conflicts if she wins the presidency in November.
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While Harris has not outlined detailed positions on many issues during her nascent campaign, she has consistently aligned herself with Biden’s foreign policy initiatives, including ongoing military support for Ukraine and a focus on de-escalating tensions in the Middle East. Although she may not retain all of Biden’s foreign policy personnel and views if elected, her current signals indicate a preference for continuity.
Harris has occasionally adopted a more hawkish tone than Biden, once declaring at the Democratic National Convention that the U.S. would always maintain “the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.”
Does Harris have a good understanding of foreign policy?
However, she has also faced criticism for missteps in her foreign policy discussions. For instance, during a debate against Trump, she inaccurately stated that “there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world — the first time this century,” despite thousands of U.S. troops being deployed in combat zones. This has led to concerns that Harris isn’t really well equipped to take foreign policy decisions to advance US’ interests.
The Biden-Harris administration has struggled to contain the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon. This perceived inability to manage the situation has led critics, including Trump, to label the current approach as weak and suggest it has prolonged the violence in the region. Trump has suggested Israel should be given a free hand, so that it can achieve victory quickly.
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