Kamala Harris’ America

AN UNEXPECTED TURN of events thrust Kamala Harris to the forefront of the US presidential race, rapidly changing the election dynamic. As vice president, she largely remained overshadowed and was criticised for the portfolios she handled, especially for her role in tackling immigration from Central American countries. Now as the likely presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, her appeal and probability both seem boosted significantly. As a woman candidate, she has the advantage of vastly different political sentiments than Hillary Clinton when she ran for president in 2016. Clinton and Harris represent the two ends of a significantly varied Democratic Party. For one, the former had the disadvantage of deep-seated elitism that top Democrats represent while the latter’s support is witnessing a bulge among women, youth and Black voters. There has been a tremendous transformation in the political significance of Harris with the change in her political position. Her entry has saved the Democratic Party from criticism about the age of the presidential candidate, another primary being held to nominate the presidential nominee, and most of all from an ignominious defeat under President Joe Biden.

As the dust settles on the initial announcement, Republicans are likely to sharpen attacks on Harris and challenge her policy relevance as a future president. Harris is likely to be attacked on issues she personally handled, gun control and immigration being the foremost of them. She is also set to pick her running mate. Depending on who that is, the Democratic pair will be under the scanner.

In her first speech after her nomination as Biden’s replacement in Wisconsin, she highlighted some of her policy priorities: ensuring reproductive rights, affordable healthcare, paid healthcare, law and justice, and childcare.

In the past, Harris has highlighted her nuanced difference from Biden, especially when she ran for president in 2020. Republicans have already attacked Harris for being a “D.E.I. Hire” and have held diversity, equity and inclusion policies as being responsible for her rise. Harris will be at loggerheads with Republicans on climate change, which could have both domestic and international repercussions. While Harris could expectedly stay with Biden’s decision on maintaining a ban on new oil and gas drilling and broadly on energy and climate policies, she could stick out by her touch of environmental justice, using a single lens to see gender, race and climate. Linked to these policy differences will be her prioritisation of electric vehicles, which Trump has called a threat to the automobile industry.

There will be a lot of focus on Kamala Harris’ foreign policy, especially in contrast to Biden, given their differing levels of policy experience. The core of Harris’ foreign policy is likely to emerge not from a direct continuity with Biden but as a nuanced divergence from his policies. Support for Ukraine is expected to continue under a Harris administration. Unlike the Biden administration, which made support for Ukraine its primary fulcrum for saving democracy and defending sovereignty, Harris might prefer a more unrestrained position.

On the other global conflict— in Gaza—Harris has already distinguished her policies from Biden’s. She has been vocal in her criticism of Palestinian suffering in Gaza while balancing her rhetoric with continued support for Israel. Her individual views on global affairs have been shaped by her long experience as a prosecutor, her role as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and her tenure as vice president. Essentially, Harris’ priorities could be to come out of the shadows of her time as vice president under Biden. Unlike Biden though, Harris will seek a second term, therefore making legacy a key component of her administration.

It is likely that Kamala Harris’ India policy will largely continue the Biden administration’s approach but with nuances reflecting the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party. How this will impact policies specific to India is difficult to predict, but generally the rising Indian influence in American politics has resulted in stronger bilateral ties

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One of Harris’ clearest enunciations on foreign policy has been during her participation in the Munich Security Conference (MSC), where she has participated multiple times. In 2022, she led a bipartisan delegation to MSC, pledging strong support for Ukraine against Russia. At MSC in February this year, Harris voiced support for strong transatlantic solidarity and quelled fears of a potential Trump administration by cautioning against undermining alliances as “dangerous, destabilizing, and indeed short-sighted.” Her views on alliances, which could shape much of her foreign policy, are clear: “I firmly believe our commitment to build and sustain alliances has helped America become the most powerful and prosperous country in the world—alliances that have prevented wars, defended freedom, and maintained stability from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. To put all of that at risk would be foolish.” She further outlined her vision by saying, “As President Biden and I have made clear over the past three years, we are committed to pursuing global engagement, upholding international rules and norms, defending democratic values at home and abroad, and working with our allies and partners in pursuit of shared goals.”

Harris is being seen as Indo-Pacific-familiar, with at least seven visits to Asia and five visits to Southeast Asia. In the Pacific, she has been a strong advocate for defending rules through a strong American presence. She has defended the American military presence in the Pacific region as necessary to defend “rules and norms that have provided for unprecedented peace and prosperity for the American people and, indeed, for the people of this region.” Nonetheless, Republicans will focus on targeting her with Biden’s decisions which have diminished America’s influence abroad. Besides, Harris is yet to present a strategy on China.

There is a lot of expectation about what Harris’ foreign policy would look like, particularly regarding India. Harris is seen to have deliberately downplayed her Indian descent while emphasising her Jamaican connection. This strategy, which appears deliberate, may have been crucial to her campaign calculus, as the Indian-origin vote is not significant in targeted states. This approach has tempered the initial exuberance in India about her identity and prospective policies. India, at best, is cautious. Harris’ defence of Representative Pramila Jayapal’s stand on Kashmir and her own statements on India’s human rights record have done little to inspire confidence.

It is likely that her India policy will largely continue the Biden administration’s approach but with nuances reflecting the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party. How this will impact policies specific to India is difficult to predict, but generally the rising Indian influence in American politics has resulted in stronger bilateral ties. After all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the special role of the Indian diaspora in the US, with a mention of Kamala Harris during his address to the joint session of the US Congress in 2023. Regardless of political changes, the structural bedrock of India-US bilateral ties has provided a sense of predictability that is expected to override any political turbulence.

About The Author

Harsh V Pant

Harsh V Pant is Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi

Vivek Mishra

Vivek Mishra is Fellow, Americas, at ORF