Foreign Policy and Nat'l Security in the 2020 Election Thus Far

Election season is upon us, and thus far there has been a presidential debate and vice presidential debate. National security, itself, has not truly been defined by either presidential candidate.  However, both platforms unveiled their foreign policy strategies. 

The presidential debate on September 29, 2020 saw both candidates largely ignore foreign policy altogether. There was no discussion from the democratic nominee, Joe Biden, about how exactly he plans to re-align America with its Allies and Trump continued blaming China for the U.S. Coronavirus deaths. Biden assessed the Trump Administration failed to conjure any positive results from its “trade war” with China. Meanwhile, President Trump continued to throw insinuations towards Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden for his work as an international consultant. The most notable foreign policy moment on stage was Joe Biden’s Arabic quip “inshallah” as Trump discussed the ongoing issues of his personal tax returns. Whether this was Joe Biden’s way of showing Americans can be cultured or merely flexing his political intelligence over his counterpart, it truly failed to reassure Americans of both candidates’ foreign policy and national security plans. 

For reference there has been little explanation from the Biden campaign about how they will go about fulfilling their foreign policy goals which include:

• Take "immediate steps" to restore alliances.

• Reform the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.

• Take a greater international role in fighting climate change.

In contrast, Trump’s platform remains largely unchanged from what we have seen in his first term with little emphasis on major changes in strategy:

• Continue bringing American troops home from "endless wars." 

• Combat international terrorism

The vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020 appeared far more promising in the foreign policy arena. The moderator posed the question “Where do you see America’s role in the world?” This kick-started a classic political banter back-and-forth between Pence and Harris about foreign policy issues such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Harris provided a well-rounded answer emphasizing credibility and leadership while accusing Trump of abandoning democratic allies for authoritarian ones. Whereby Pence replied defending Trump’s, arguably successful, achievements in focusing on combating China’s influence, killing Suleimani, and sanctioning North Korea and Iran. Both debaters failed to show-off their foreign policy or national security ingenuity and sparked questions as to whether either candidate would be well-versed in tackling these tough issues without their current leadership. 

Overall, it is not shocking given the American landscape that national security and foreign policy have taken a “back seat” in regards to major domestic issues such as racism and police reform, healthcare, Supreme Court nominations, and alike. However, it is concerning that little effort was given from both tickets’ to articulate their visions for America in the international community. Hopefully the next and last debate on October 22nd will demonstrate some further strategic planning especially given events such as ceasefire failures in Nagorno-Karabakh and Xi Jinping telling his military troops to focus all energy on preparing for war.