'US will be more isolationist...': Jaishankar on 2024 presidential election
India's Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, has envisioned a shift toward isolationism in the United States, no matter who wins the 2024 presidential elections. He made the comments at an event in Canberra on November 6, even as Americans were still voting. This trend is unlikely to change with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as president, he said.
Jaishankar cites examples of US's growing caution
Jaishankar noted that since President Barack Obama's time, the US has become more wary of its global responsibilities. He referred to the hesitance to send troops and the pullout from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden as instances of this change. "President Trump may be more articulate and expressive in that regard," he said during a panel discussion with foreign ministers from Australia and New Zealand.
US dominance and generosity may not continue: Jaishankar
Jaishankar stressed the importance of analyzing US policy from a national perspective, rather than just through the lens of current administration ideologies. "If we are truly analyzing them, I think we have to prepare for a world where actually the kind of dominance and generosity which the US had in the early days may not continue," he said.
Jaishankar optimistic about future US-India relations
Despite predicting a trend toward isolationism, Jaishankar remained optimistic about future US-India relations. He said these ties would "only grow." He also emphasized the need for nations to work together to shape the global environment they want. "We all have an interest today in creating some kind of collaborative consensual arrangement," he said.
New Zealand FM echoes Jaishankar's sentiments
Echoing Jaishankar's sentiments about increasing protectionism and changing global dynamics, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said, "There is more protectionism." "The world we were once trying to build on is changing, and we'll have to react and change with it," Peters added. Notably, the 2024 US election is historic as Harris could become the first woman, first Black woman, and first person of South Asian descent to assume the presidency if she wins.
