By Ajay Jha –
American think tanks unanimously agree that the November 5 U.S. Presidential election will be historic, given the critical issues
facing both contenders.
Nicholas Hamisevicz, Program Director at the Washington-based East-West Center, identified key issues in the face-off between
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican counterpart Donald Trump: the U.S. economy, jobs, education, immigration, healthcare, and climate change. Hamisevicz emphasized that these issues will influence voters, with women and Asian-American voters playing a crucial role in the outcome.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled “US Presidential Election: Making Sense of the Unpredictability”, organized by the New
Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation on Thursday, September 26, Hamisevicz highlighted China and Ukraine as core issues likely to shape the winning candidate’s policy direction.
“China and Ukraine issues will impact other concerns, especially China’s incursions into neighboring countries,” Hamisevicz stated.
Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the U.S. and the Americas Programme at Chatham House, underscored the importance of swing states and minority votes in the upcoming election. She noted that white voters might have concerns about Kamala Harris’s Asian and Black heritage.
“A tough road lies ahead for both candidates as the race is tight. We’re heading for an unstable transitional phase,” Vinjamuri said. She also expressed optimism that this election could break the barrier of electing a woman as U.S. President.
Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Editor of the leading Indian English daily The Hindu, opened the panel discussion by stating that India is comfortably positioned and enjoying growing ties with the U.S. regardless of the election outcome. However, she suggested that
compared to Harris, Trump might take a tougher stance on some issues that could impact bilateral relations.
The panelists agreed that the upcoming election will be very close. They predicted that if Trump loses, he would likely challenge the outcome, as in the previous election. Similarly, they suggested that Democrats might contest the results if they lose by a narrow margin.
