Foreign policy: The hot-button issues Harris and Trump differ and agree on

Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Republican Donald Trump are locked in a tight race in the US presidential elections, which many believe will have a decisive impact on the future of the world’s biggest military and economic power.

However, there is, perhaps, an even bigger question: Will the potential election of either Harris or Trump have a similar, far-reaching impact on the trajectory of US foreign policy?

The possible answer has made many of the US allies wait anxiously for the final outcome of the November 5 elections – particularly European states, as well as Middle Eastern nations like Tehran, which has braced for a potential retaliatory attack from Israel, and Tel Aviv, which seeks more consolidated support from Washington to expand its ambitions across the Middle East.

Trump, for one, has kept the world on tenterhooks with his rhetoric.

“We have long been taken advantage of by other countries. And (come to) think of it, oftentimes, these other countries are considered so-called allies. They’ve taken advantage of us for years,” said Trump during his convention speech in July, signalling that he will pressure Western partners to show more commitment to NATO and other US-led initiatives, potentially increasing tensions.

On the other hand, Harris wants to “strengthen, not abdicate” US global leadership and accuses Trump of trying “to abandon NATO”, undermining America’s leading role in world affairs.

“He encouraged Putin to invade our allies. Said Russia could ‘do whatever the hell they want,’” she said during her convention speech in late August.

The only issue on which both are on the same page is Israel’s security.

And despite the staggering civilian casualty and human suffering inflicted by Israel on Palestinians since October 7, 2023, both Trump and Harris have similar pro-Israeli political positions. Analysts feel this might particularly hurt Harris in states like Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population.

With barely a few weeks to go for voting days, here’s a look at where the candidates stand on some hot-button foreign policy issues:

Israel's war on Gaza

On the first anniversary of October 7, Harris planted a pomegranate tree in her official residence in Washington and termed Hamas’s cross-border blitz as an “act of pure evil” while standing next to her husband, Doug Emhoff, “the first Jewish spouse of a US president or vice president,” according to the New York Times.

“I will restate my pledge to always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and that I will always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world,” she said.

Harris’s comments came amid Israel’s brutal and indiscriminate attacks on Palestinians, which have been described by the International Court of Justice as “genocidal”.

Even as the death toll in Gaza reached close to 43,000, Israel has expanded its war to Lebanon, where nearly 2,500 people have also been killed and more than 10,000 have been injured in intense bombing of civilian localities, including the capital Beirut.

Trump, whose daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism to get married to an Orthodox Jew Jared Kushner, has even harsher views on October 7 and Israeli security than Harris’s.

During an event to mark the October 7 anniversary, Trump claimed that the Hamas attack “would never have happened if I was president," and accused both President Joe Biden and Harris of showing “weakness” in defending Israel.

“If, and when, they say, when I’m president, the US will once again be stronger and closer [to Israel] than it ever was,” Trump said, reiterating his unwavering support for Israel’s Gaza war conduct.

While Trump has persistently refused to pay attention to the fact that Israeli attacks killed mostly children, women and elderly people in Gaza, Harris recognised “to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians”, experiencing “so much pain and loss over the year.” But Harris, like Trump, has not yet called for a ceasefire in her recent remarks.

According to human rights groups and UN experts, what Israel has done in Gaza carries “a genocidal intent”, which is the reason why the Netanyahu government continues to commit war crimes against Palestinians.

Experts also draw attention to the fact that the October 7 attack happened due to the continuing siege of Gaza and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

Ukraine conflict

Like the Middle East crisis, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has exposed yet another geopolitical fault line, which has shaken the foundation of the Western-designed international system.

In this conflict, Trump and Harris have very different takes.

Trump has long found the Ukraine conflict avoidable, pledging that he could finish the war “in 24 hours”. In his most recent confrontation of the issue during a televised debate with Harris, he reiterated his stance and urged “to get this war finished and just get it done, negotiate a deal.”

“He is likely to reduce American support for Ukraine and push Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. Overall, Trump’s transactional approach to leader-to-leader diplomacy is likely to benefit Putin,” said Matthew Waxman, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

But Harris, like Biden, advocates continuance of US support from arms supplies to financial aid to Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

During the same debate, Harris accused Trump of leaving Ukrainians alone against Russia, which would have made Putin “be sitting in Kiev with his eyes on the rest of Europe”, she said, signalling continuing support for Ukraine.

Stance on China

While both candidates have tough words on China, experts assess that the next administration’s ties with Beijing will depend on the evolution of global competition from the Pacific to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. They advise the next administration to pursue “tenable cohabitation” with the world’s second-biggest economy.

Harris promised that "America - not China - wins the competition for the 21st Century", accusing Trump by advocating an isolationist foreign policy, which might empower Beijing.

However, Trump believes he could weaken Chinese economic power by expanding tariffs on Beijing, evoking memories of the bitter trade war during his first term. Harris is not a great fan of expanding tariffs on China.

Trump "sold us out" to China, said Harris in September during the presidential debate, referring to Trump’s dealing with Beijing by "selling American chips to China”, which she claimed helped the Asian giant “modernise their military."

However, from Trump's perspective, “the best trade deal was the deal I made with China where they buy $50 billion of our product.”

While Trump and Harris offer pro-Taiwan views on defending the self-ruled island's democracy, a US ally in the Pacific, both candidates appear interested in maintaining stable relations with Beijing and following Washington's long-standing 'One China' policy.

Trump recently said that he “respected” both China and Xi Jinping and would aim "rather have a good relationship with China."

Like Trump, Harris has also expressed a conciliatory tone, saying that she does not defend "decoupling” but “de-risking" with China, ensuring that she is not “seeking conflict" with the Asian giant.