On February 29, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion dedicated to the upcoming presidential elections in the United States.
The US presidential election campaign is gaining momentum. According to public opinion polls, the most popular candidates, as in 2020, are Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Both candidates evoke controversial feelings among American voters. The latest reports about the deteriorating health of incumbent President Joe Biden have become resonant, and his potential opponent Donald Trump continues to be threatened with criminal prosecution by the US authorities.
Both the Democratic and Republican camps are looking for new faces – candidates who could participate in the election if Biden or Trump drop out of the race. White House policy on a number of domestic issues, from taxes to migration, will depend on who exactly takes the presidency. At the same time, many experts believe that changes in the American establishment are unlikely to lead to a change in foreign policy or the normalisation of relations with Russia, especially against the backdrop of a deep crisis in relations between Moscow and the collective West.
Will the elections affect the US foreign policy? Will relations with China change? What will the relationship look like with NATO allies? Will the position on the Iran nuclear deal change? Finally, what will be the policy towards Russia? Participants in the discussion tried to answer these and other questions.
Speakers:
- Dmitry Trenin, research professor at the Higher School of Economics, leading researcher at IMEMO RAS
- Robert Legvold, Marshall D. Shulman Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, and Director of the Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative (USA)
Moderator:
Working languages: Russian, English.