Alice Calcraft
The upcoming US Election, taking place on Tuesday 5 November, promises to bring change to the lives of Americans. However, due to the significance of the US as a leading global nation, the international impact of both of the candidates is crucial to consider.
The international impact will starkly differ.
Whether Democrat Kamala Harris, the current Vice-President, is awarded office, or the former President, Republican Donald Trump, wins for a second time, the international impact will starkly differ. Amidst global crises such as the Israel-Gaza war, and the conflict in Ukraine, the work of the next American President will be pivotal in how the conflicts play out. In addition, issues of climate, immigration, and the economy will hugely impact American lives but also significantly shape how the rest of the world lives.
Climate change is placing an increasing threat on the world, and the current US position of emitting over 12% of the world’s carbon emissions forces many around the world to look to the candidates’ positions on green issues. Currently, President Biden has a Green New Deal in place, intending to phase out fossil fuel emissions, expand public transport, and transition entirely to renewable energy by 2035. Trump states that he will end Biden’s Green New Deal immediately, and consequently reduce restrictions on drilling, stating that he wants to ‘drill, baby, drill’. Alternatively, Harris claims her plans to work on implementing new laws to extend the work of Biden instead of entirely reversing them. She was the final vote on passing the Inflation Reduction Act. This desires to lower household energy costs and advance climate justice, providing opportunities for green energy. As her manifesto states, she ‘will always fight for the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis’.
Speaking on the matter on 7 October
The war between Israel and Gaza has been at the forefront of many people’s minds in recent months, as the conflict continues, killing around 40,000 civilians. It is not unsurprising that a question asked by a lot of people to the Presidential Candidates is how they will handle the conflict. In 2018, Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which some deemed as an emphasis of his support for Israel. He appears to have no policy surrounding Palestine. Alternatively, Harris has called for an end to the war and an immediate ceasefire. However, voters have recently criticised Harris’ lack of support for the Muslim community. More recently, Harris has been against the plea for an arms embargo on Israel, stating that Israel ‘has a right to defend itself’. Speaking on the matter on 7 October, she stated her desires that ‘Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination’.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has similarly been a key political issue in this upcoming election, since the Russian invasion in early 2022 during the early years of Biden’s time as President. Announcing over $1.5 billion to be sent to Ukraine, Harris vows to support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’. Similarly, Trump supports extra aid being sent to Ukraine. Although he calls for an immediate ceasefire to the war, Trump does not fail to mention that he has ‘a very good relationship’ with Russian President Putin and that his desire for a ceasefire would paint the war as a victory for Putin.
Trump intends to close the US-Mexico border and deport undocumented immigrants.
When considering immigration to the US, Harris believes that there ‘should be consequences’ for immigrants who cross the US border unlawfully. In her role as vice president, she has played a key role in navigating the ‘root causes’ of why immigrants from Central American countries such as Mexico and Guatemala were travelling to the US, which created significant criticism from Republicans blaming her for the ‘worsening crisis at the border’. Trump intends to close the US-Mexico border and deport undocumented immigrants. He states that ‘the Republican platform promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country’, announcing that he ‘would have no problem using the military’ to enforce his desires for ‘law and order’ surrounding immigrants.
Economically, the US has a significant impact on global trade. Trump promises that he will increase tariffs on Chinese imports, and implement 10% and 20% tariffs on all imports around the world. This will result in international companies making less money, and consequently having an impact on global trade, which is reported to worsen if Taiwan is invaded by China as a result of the support the US provides to Taiwan. However, Harris stresses that the Inflation Reduction Act will improve the situation for Americans receiving trade imports and increase the involvement of other countries.
It is difficult to look past the fact that the rest of the world will be impacted greatly.
Exploring the policies of the Presidential Candidates, it is difficult to look past the fact that the rest of the world will be impacted greatly. Our lives in Nottingham and beyond may be hugely shaped by the new President’s policies on issues of climate and conflicts, meaning that Tuesday will, very likely, be a day for the history books.
Alice Calcraft
