Kamala Harris: She’s Not Just a Newbie to Replace Joe Biden — How She Built Her Resume

Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the electoral race in light of the November elections in the United States and his support for Kamala Harris, is occupying all the international media outlets that are “researching” the political past of the current US Vice President.

Joe Biden, according to guardianHe had an unparalleled list of international contacts and was a leader who depended on his foreign policy performance.

Kamala Harris says she’s ready to run for Democratic nomination just hours after Joe Biden drops out

However, British media reports that Harris has, slowly but surely, built up her own portfolio, which is expected to be supported in her bid to claim first the Democratic nomination and then the office of President of the United States of America.

What Joe Biden’s supporters were saying

The Guardian reported that Joe Biden’s supporters, especially in recent days when many called for him to retire, began to remember his experience.

He has said he knows more about foreign policy than Henry Kissinger, and the Biden team has highlighted the praise he received from world leaders at the recent NATO summit in Washington as an argument that Americans cannot afford to lose him. His stance on the war in Ukraine is being singled out in the British media in particular.

“Without careful deliberation and weighing up its options, the West was unlikely to be able to respond as decisively as it initially did, with sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine after its invasion by Vladimir Putin,” The Guardian wrote.

However, the problems he has appeared to be facing recently, his performance at the recent G7 summit and his inability to convince a majority of Americans of the need to defend Ukraine, have raised questions about whether he can hold his ground.

This was despite the fact that he is believed to have a list of international contacts comparable to any of his predecessors since George W. Bush, has traveled to Ukraine several times, met Xi Jinping in Beijing, looked Putin in the eye and claimed he was a man without a soul, and has known Benjamin Netanyahu for 40 years.

The importance of personal relationships

The Guardian notes that his experience has led him to believe in the power of personal relationships in foreign policy. His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, once said: “He often says that all foreign policy is personal, and that personal relationships with leaders are really important.”

This experience has led him to be willing at times to overrule military leaders, diplomatic experts, and others.

“He has a foreign policy savvy that gives him confidence — he knows he can win any argument,” said Senator Chris Murphy, adding: “It allows him to act with boldness and confidence.”

That boldness, Gordian wrote, sometimes led to mistakes, such as his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and his reluctance to quickly supply equipment to Ukraine.

What would a potential Kamala Harris election mean?

With all of the above in mind, the Guardian notes that if Kamala Harris is elected, it will mean a step back in the foreign policy arena due to her knowledge of foreign affairs and foreign leaders, even after an intensive “apprenticeship” in the fall.

But that doesn’t mean they’re novices, the British outlet stresses. She herself has slowly built up her foreign policy portfolio.

He spoke in Britain at a conference on artificial intelligence organized by Rishi Sunak. He attended the 2023 Asia Summit instead of Biden.

For three consecutive years, he led the American delegation to the Munich Security Conference in an effort to expand his knowledge and introduce himself to Europe.

At the last conference she had to respond to the news of Alexei Navalny’s death and send a message to her homeland that “isolation is not protection” (from dangers).

The Guardian wrote that this was a message of continuity for Biden’s legacy, which is supposed to be strengthened in the coming months.

Kamala Harris’s position on Gaza

Several former Biden aides said they were optimistic that she could formulate her own policy on Gaza, and that the US president was trapped in a time machine around an Israeli policy that no longer exists.

In early March, Harris gave a speech calling for a six-week “temporary ceasefire,” long before Biden publicly announced one.

Harris also expressed sympathy for the pro-Palestine student protesters, saying they “show exactly what humane sentiment should be in response to Gaza,” though she added that she “does not fully support their demands.”

She made clear that too many Palestinians had been killed and was more sensitive to the ongoing protests in the US. “There is an opportunity for a soft reset that would bring her closer to the core European position on the Gaza conflict,” Gordian suggests.

Harris’ role as foreign policy advisor

Her chief foreign policy adviser, Philip Gordon, is a Washington veteran who specializes in Middle East and European politics and has long been wary of American efforts to bring about regime change in the Middle East or impose democracy in countries like Saudi Arabia.

Unusually, he had a doctorate in Gaullist French security policy and initially joined the Obama administration as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs before moving to the National Security Council staff specializing in the Middle East.

He differed from his boss in believing that limited strikes against Syria after its use of chemical weapons would be effective and justified, while he was a strong supporter of the Iran nuclear deal.

“Given Harris’ learning process, Gordon is emerging as the go-to person as the Biden and Harris teams try to find a way to work together,” The Guardian concluded.