Regardless of the outcome, the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election will certainly have a global impact. How do people and leaders in other parts of the world view this election? What is at stake for their countries and regions?
This was the focus of the Star Forum “2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The World is Watching” held on the MIT campus earlier this month.
Star Forum is a public event series hosted by the MIT Center for International Studies (CIS) that focuses on major issues of global interest. The event was moderated by Evan Lieberman, CIS Director and Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa.
Experts in politics from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America came together to share ideas with each other and the audience.
Each provides informed commentary on their respective regions, including the style of that country’s government, residents’ perceptions of American democratic norms, and the status of the United States in the eyes of those countries’ citizens. I placed my observations in context.
Perceptions of US politics from around the world
Katrina Burgess, professor of political economy and director of the Henry J. Leia Institute on Migration and Human Security at Tufts University, explores the multiple political identities of the Latin American diaspora in the United States and their relationship with the United States. I tried to differentiate their perceptions about. countries.
“American democracy is no longer seen as a standard bearer,” Burgess said. “Members of these communities see benefits in aligning with one of the presidential candidates because of their positions on economic relations, immigration, and border security, while others see an advantage in aligning with one of the presidential candidates. have deep-seated views on increasing access to
Prerna Singh, Mahatma Gandhi Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Brown University, spoke about India’s status as the world’s largest democracy and said the country is moving away from democratic norms.
“Indian leaders don’t meet with the press,” she says. “Indian leaders don’t debate like Americans.”
Singh noted that while India, which is ethnically and linguistically diverse, has elected several women to top government positions, the United States has yet to elect any. She described a brand of “exclusive nationalism” that threatens to lead India away from democracy and toward something like authoritarian rule.
John Githongo, CIS Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow for 2024-2025, shared his findings on African countries’ views on the 2024 elections.
“America’s soft power infrastructure in Africa is crumbling,” said Githongo, a Kenyan native. “China’s investment in Africa has increased significantly, and many see China as an ideal political and economic partner.”
Githongo noted that the youth-led protests in Kenya arose in response to the failure of promised democratic reforms. He noted that the Biden administration has attempted to rebuild economic and political relations with African countries for the first time in a long time, and warned of a possible return to pre-Cold War attitudes in Africa.
Daniel Ziblatt, the Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, said the rise in right-wing extremism and brand of populist agitation in Europe appears to be similar to that observed in the United States. I talked about the change in political winds.
“We’re seeing a rise in the radical, anti-democratic right in Europe, which is similar to the changes we’ve observed in the United States,” he said. “Trump supporters in Germany, Poland and Hungary are becoming increasingly vocal.”
Mr. Ziblatt acknowledged that the historic fragmentation of transatlantic relations between Europe and the United States is symptomatic of broader challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy supply issues and a national security apparatus dependent on U.S. support could continue to cause political repercussions, he added.
Does America still have global influence?
After each presentation, guest speakers engaged in conversation and took questions from the audience. Panelists agreed that global investment in the outcome of the US election was lower than observed in past elections.
Singh pointed out that from the Indian media perspective, India has big fish to fry.
However, panelists were divided when asked about increasing political polarization and its relationship to observed behaviors in American society.
“This trend is global,” Burgess asserted. “There is no causal relationship between American phenomena and perceptions in other countries.”
Asked about extremist elements in the United States and Europe, Ziblatt countered, “I think they’re learning from each other.” “There is power in saying something outrageous.”
Githongo argued that there is a kind of “trickle-down” at play in some African countries.
“In countries with right-leaning governments, we see these trends trickling down to groups such as evangelical Christians,” he said. “Their influence reflects the rise of right-wing ideology in other African countries and in the United States.”
Singh likened the continued division of American audiences to India’s caste system.
“I think it’s in the Indian diaspora that caste comes into play,” she says. “Indian-American business and technology leaders tend to come from upper caste backgrounds,” she says, adding that these leaders have a lot of influence in American communities and in India.
