Hundreds of former Democratic foreign policy leaders this week backed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House, vouching for their party’s presumptive nominee despite her limited experience in matters of diplomacy.
Her rapid trajectory to the top of the ticket just days after President Biden announced he would exit the race comes at a time of increased global tension, leaving voters to wonder where she stands on critical foreign policy issues, including military support for Israel and Ukraine, the migrant crisis, and threats from an emergent China.
Ms. Harris was largely not engaged in shaping foreign policy in the Biden administration, and played only a narrow role even in the areas where she was involved, most notably in the administration’s approach to illegal migration along the southern border. Nevertheless, the campaign of former President Donald J. Trump has sought to tie her to the influx in migrants, while simultaneously painting her as inexperienced.
The War in Gaza
Ms. Harris has largely been in lockstep with Mr. Biden regarding U.S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza. She has reaffirmed the administration’s position that Israel has a right to defend itself, but she has struck a sharper tone about the suffering of people in Gaza.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Ms. Harris told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday.
“The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time — we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” she said, adding, “I will not be silent.”
