The Harris-Trump Debate: Foreign Policy Issue Guide

On Tuesday, September 10, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in their first debate since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. The two candidates have starkly different worldviews on major foreign policy issues such as climate change, immigration, and the war in Ukraine. These resources explain why the issues matter.

Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East

With a widening war threatening to engulf the Middle East, CFR Senior Fellow Steven A. Cook argues that Washington should set more achievable goals in the region. Because previous U.S. efforts to leverage its power to change the region have failed, he says the United States should focus efforts on preventing threats to American interests.

For Foreign Affairs, Arab Barometer’s Michael Robbins, Amaney A. Jamal, and Mark Tessler explain how the United States is losing influence in the Arab world—and how China is reaping the benefits.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back more than a century. This CFR Education timeline explores some of its pivotal moments from 1947 to today.

Russia-Ukraine

CFR Fellow Thomas Graham explains why understanding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals and motivations is critical to developing a successful counterstrategy.

The United States has provided Ukraine with some $175 billion in aid, much of which has gone toward providing weapons systems, training, and intelligence. This article tracks the extraordinary level of U.S. support for Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine has heightened tensions between Russia and Western countries, particularly those in the European Union. Four experts discuss the profound impact that a Trump or Harris victory would have on European security in this Council of Councils global memo.

China

China’s exports are booming, raising concerns of overcapacity that could harm U.S. industries and eliminate jobs. CFR Senior Fellow Brad W. Setser discusses the causes and consequences of this surge on The President’s Inbox podcast.

Trump has floated the idea of tripling current tariffs on China, while the Biden-Harris administration has imposed tariffs on imports from China of goods it considers strategic. For CFR’s RealEcon initiative, Larry Greenwood suggests a way to make the China tariffs more effective.

Both Harris and Trump have indicated that they will take a tough line on China. For Foreign Affairs, three Chinese scholars at Peking University explain how Beijing is viewing the U.S. election.

Immigration and Border Security

Immigration has been a flash point of the U.S. political debate for decades, and it is shaping up to be a major source of contention in the 2024 election. These CFR explainers explore the complexity of immigration issues:

• The Contentious U.S. Immigration Debate
• Who Is Responsible for Securing the U.S. Border?
• How the U.S. Asylum Process Works
• How the U.S. Refugee System Works
• Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Millions of migrants and displaced people are arriving every year to the U.S.-Mexico border. The American Immigration Council’s Dara Lind discusses the situation at the southern U.S. border on this episode of The President’s Inbox.

Inflation, Debt, and the Economy

Both Trump and the Biden-Harris administration have overseen massive increases to the national debt. Some of this spending has helped finance programs that an increasing number of policymakers deem critical to national security. For RealEcon, Fellow Matthew P. Goodman argues that U.S. officials shouldn’t lose sight of the costs of protecting the economy.

In this blog post, CFR’s Benn Steil and Elisabeth Harding chart how Washington came to spend more on interest payments than national defense.

This Backgrounder explains how the national debt grew to current levels and the potential consequences of congressional reluctance to reduce deficits.

Climate Change

Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate-related policies in U.S. history, which Trump says he would gut if reelected. CFR Education identifies what to know about the climate legislation.

Trade

Both Democrats and Republicans have grown skeptical about free trade. For RealEcon, former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative Heather Hurlburt offers a way to design trade that improves labor rights and meets climate goals. 

Trump has suggested that he would impose a universal tariff on imports, while Harris has opposed such widespread levies. This Backgrounder explores how these taxes work and how they’ve been used historically.

AI and Technology

At this CFR event, panelists discuss the necessity of establishing artificial intelligence (AI) governance.

The Republican Party platform calls for the repeal of President Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI, which Harris helped craft. On this episode of The President’s Inbox, CFR Senior Fellow Kat Duffy analyzes the U.S. government’s capacity for building an AI governance framework.

Global Health and Pandemic Prevention

In April, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled a federal strategy on global health security. CFR Senior Fellow David P. Fidler unpacks the strategy for Think Global Health.

Opioid addiction in the United States is endangering public health, the economy, and national security. This Backgrounder examines the role of fentanyl in the U.S. opioid epidemic.