One of the most dramatic election campaigns in American history is coming to an end today, with fateful questions for the United States of America—which still, despite all the recent global upheavals, is the world’s most powerful military and economic superpower. It seems that since the American Civil War in the mid-19th century, two representatives who are so different in character and outlook, and who offer America such different visions, have not faced each other . The race between the two saw 2 debates, the drop-out of a sitting president, and even 2 failed assassination attempts; one thing is certain – the results of these elections are going to be historic and precedential (with the first woman in office, or the first president to return to an uninterrupted term since the end of the 19th century), and will have a profound impact on geopolitical reality.
On one side stands Donald Trump (78), the former president (2017-2021) who has not released since his hold on the Republican Party. The end of Trump’s chaotic term and the dozens of criminal matters he got into raised the belief that his political career was over, but Trump recovered and again swept the American right. At massive election rallies where he is not afraid to tell the public everything in his mind, Trump promises to bring America back to the good conservative period that characterized it in the late 20th century, while combating progressive social currents, and reducing America’s role on the international stage, focusing the bulk of attention and effort on internal reconstruction.
On the other side is Kamla Harris (60), the incumbent vice president, who became the official party candidate only last summer, after the saga of the retirement of incumbent President Joe Biden from the race. Harris represents a younger and more energetic generation in politics, and in many ways her very identity symbolizes the new America – a woman, of a minority (half African-American, half Indian). Harris has managed to bring momentum into the nappy Democratic campaign, which has struggled to rise up with Biden and his turbulent tenure; she promises to continue Biden’s economic and political policies in general, but also to add new content of her own, and to give greater cultural expression to American diversity.
There is no doubt that these elections are especially fateful for Israel, which is currently in one of the most complex security and geopolitical situations it has ever known, and Israel’s dependence on the United States has been expressed many times in the past year. Both Harris and Trump promised to end the war in the Middle East shortly after their election, without much detail about their plans. Harris is likely to exert more pressure on the Israeli government, while with Trump it is difficult to know – chances are he will allow restraints from Israel, but he may take surprising steps in the opposite direction. Israelis may hope that the statements of the 2 candidates at this stage are intended for election purposes, and that after the inauguration of the new president (January 20) there may be no significant change in America’s position. In any case, it is clear that the option must be considered by the decision makers.
In any case, one can stand aside and praise the United States for the 60th election in its history. The world’s oldest and most powerful democracy continues to function in full force, and there is no doubt that if the United States succeeds in overcoming the current cycle of polarization, it will have a bright future of democratic existence, with a fine tradition of a peaceful transition of power.
