Leading political scientists discuss global perspectives on the US presidential election

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT for short, Starr Forumpolitical scientist Katrina Burgess, Daniel Ziblatt, John Githongo And Prerna Singh joined MIT political science professor Evan Lieberman in a panel discussion titled “The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The World is Watching” to discuss global perspectives on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Each panelist covered an important continental viewpoint on what the next presidential administration means for international relations and how each region will feel the impact of the next commander in chief.

“We want to broaden the view beyond our country’s borders and give a sense of how the world sees our country,” Lieberman told an almost full hall.

The first speaker was Burgess, who reflected on what positions Latin American governments are taking during this election season and what policies are influencing them. Burgess highlighted the breadth of support for each campaign issue among Latinos.

statistics show that a majority of people believe Harris would prioritize a path to citizenship for immigrants while Trump would maintain border security. The same Surveys Latin Americans reportedly have little confidence that Trump will do the “right thing” when it comes to global affairs. The majority of respondents also agreed that this is the case in the United States no longer a good example a democracy.

“Latin America doesn’t appear [Harris’ or Trump’s] platforms,” Burgess added.

This raises the question, Burgess said: Why is the U.S. leaving the closest geographic continent out of the discussion?

“It is benign neglect accompanied by security threats. In the Cold War it was communism. In the 1990s it was drug trafficking and since 9/11 it’s actually migration and the border,” Burgess said. “’Make America Great Again’ should include America.”

Ziblatt came next and discussed an overview of relations between Europe and the USA. Europe has recently become aware of several Vulnerabilities caused by the outsourcing of necessary deliveries. They are constantly attuned to other countries’ situations and exposed to what’s next in the U.S., he said.

Ziblatt referred to the Pew Research Center statistics about trends in European political opinion. There is overwhelming support for Harris in Germany and the United Kingdom, with the exception of the Alternative for Germany, a radical right-wing party that follows similar policies to Trump.

Trump is causing great uncertainty for Europeans in the election, explained Ziblatt. As President Trump threatened NATO membersHe said he would not protect them against Russian President Vladimir Putin. This could delegitimize the US role in NATO and its reputation in global affairs, Ziblatt said.

“Will European officials be willing to share intelligence with Trump?” Ziblatt said. “Perhaps we need to hedge our risks here and look for allies elsewhere.”

Githongo spoke next, delving deeper into the African continent’s opinion on the US election. Githongo said U.S. democratic practices are important in influencing African democracies.

“The US across Africa and its model of government has been a shining house on the hill. … It’s open and free,” Githongo said. But when it comes to the current election, the fate of the influence remains uncertain.

On the streets of African countries, there has been a wave of support for the Harris campaign from the younger generation, which makes up about 50% of the African population.

“They express the sharpest moral clarity we have had across Africa since the independence struggle… very clear about international affairs and what they believe is right and wrong,” Githongo said.

Many African countries have been vocal in their support of Harris, especially after Trump labeled large parts of Africa as such “shithole” Countries and Trump are negative Visa guidelinesthat affect the increasing number of African students I travel to the US every year for university.

“The United States has problems with Africa,” Githongo said.

Rounding out the presentations was Singh, who focused on India and the upcoming elections. Singh addressed how under-reported the US elections are in India. This is partly due to the fact that a Decline in press freedom in Indiashe said. While politics and campaigns are discussed only in passing in the Indian media, there is one theme that shines through.

“The only thing that gets a lot of coverage is presidential debates,” Singh said. She attributed this particular focus to the democratic erosion that India is facing due to a Rise of populist groups and leaders.

In theory, the majority of India supports the Democratic Party, Singh said. However, the Hindu National Party did so supported Trump.

Singh emphasized how consistently Harris is covered in the media, in part because of her maternal Indian heritage and partly because of her scolding Prime Minister Narendra Modi on human rights practices.

“There was a time when the US could dismiss India as a country… but those days are over,” Singh said. She said India is that largest growing economy in the world, and therefore the country is less worried about the elections in America than other global players.

The News asked panelists whether they think the once-stellar respect for U.S. democracy has been lost.

“America has experienced democratic backsliding,” Ziblatt said. He acknowledged a downward trend in approval of U.S. democracy.

“Democracy in the United States is important to people around the world,” Githango said.