Whatever the end result, the outcomes of the 2024 United States presidential election are certain to have world affect. How do residents and leaders in different components of the world view these elections? What’s at stake for international locations and their areas?
That was the main focus of “US Presidential Election 2024: The World Is Watching,” a Star Forum held earlier this month on the MIT campus.
The Starr Discussion board is a collection of public occasions hosted by MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), and targeted on key points of world curiosity. The occasion was moderated by Evan Lieberman, director of CIS and Full Professor of Political Science and Modern Africa.
African, Asian, European and Latin American political consultants gathered to share concepts with one another and the viewers.
Every supplied knowledgeable commentary on their respective areas, putting their observations inside a number of contexts, together with the international locations' fashion of presidency, residents' perceptions of American democratic norms, and America's stature within the eyes of these international locations' populations.
Perceptions of American politics from world wide
Katrina Burgess, professor of political economic system at Tufts College and director of the Henry J. Leir Institute on Migration and Human Safety, sought to discern the a number of political identities of members of the Latin American diaspora in America and their perceptions of America's relationship with locations.
“American democracy is not perceived as a normal bearer,” Burgess stated. “Whereas members of those communities see benefits in aligning themselves with one of many presidential candidates due to positions on financial relations, immigration and border safety, others have robust views on fossil fuels and growing entry to sustainable power options .”
Prerna Singh, professor of Political Science and Worldwide Research at Brown Mahatma Gandhi College, spoke about India's standing because the world's largest democracy and described a rustic transferring away from democratic norms.
“Indian leaders don't speak to the press,” she stated. “Indian Leaders Don't Debate Like People.”
Ethnically and linguistically various India, Singh famous, has elected a number of girls to its prime authorities posts, whereas the US has but to elect one. She described a model of “exclusionary nationalism” that threatened to push India away from democracy and towards one thing like authoritarian rule.
John Githongo, Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow at CIS for 2024-2025, shared his findings on African international locations' views on the 2024 elections.
“America's mushy energy infrastructure in Africa is crumbling,” stated Githongo, a local of Kenya. Chinese language funding in Africa has grown considerably, and China is seen by many as a super political and financial accomplice.
The youth-led protests in Kenya, Githongo famous, occurred in response to the failure of promised democratic reforms. He warned in opposition to a doable return to the pre-Chilly Battle place in Africa, noting that the Biden administration was the primary in a while to attempt to restore financial and political ties with African international locations.
Daniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of Authorities at Harvard College and director of the Minda de Gunzburg Middle for European Research, described the shifting political winds in Europe that appear much like the rise of right-wing extremism and a model of populist agitation seen in America.
“We see the rise of the unconventional, anti-democratic proper in Europe, and it seems to be like modifications we've seen within the US,” he famous. “Trump supporters in Germany, Poland and Hungary more and more vocal.”
Ziblatt acknowledged divisions within the historic transatlantic relationship between Europe and America as symptomatic of broader challenges. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, power provide points and nationwide safety apparatuses depending on US assist may proceed to trigger political ripples, he added.
Does America nonetheless have world affect?
After every of their displays, the visitor audio system engaged in a dialog, taking questions from the viewers. There was settlement among the many panelists that there’s much less funding globally within the end result of the US election than may need been noticed in previous elections.
Singh identified that, from the attitude of the Indian media, India has greater fish to fry.
Nevertheless, the panelists differed when requested in regards to the rise of political polarization and its relationship to the behaviors noticed in American circles.
“This development is world,” Burgess asserted. “There is no such thing as a causal connection between American phenomena and perceptions of different international locations.”
“I believe they’re studying from one another,” Ziblatt replied when requested about extremist components in America and Europe. “There’s energy in saying wild issues.”
Githongo claimed that in some African international locations a sort of “leakage” was at work.
“International locations with right-leaning governments see these tendencies make their method to organizations like evangelical Christians,” he stated. “Their affect mirrors the rise of right-wing ideology in different African international locations and in America.”
Singh cherished the continued division of American audiences into India's caste system.
“I believe the place caste is available in is the Indian diaspora,” she stated. “Indian-American enterprise and expertise leaders have a tendency to return from higher castes.” These leaders, she stated, have nice affect of their American communities and in India.