The world watches US election with un-ease as experts point to risks beyond Nov 5th 2024. While many focus on Donald Trump winning chances theres another scenario that needs attention
The possibility of Kamala Harris victory might lead to result dispute (similar to what happened about 4 years ago) but this time global situation is way different. Multiple on-going wars and world-wide power shifts make US stability super-important
In the immediate aftermath‚ Trump refusing to concede would suck up the attention of every politician and news organization on Earth‚ leaving little bandwidth to deal with anything else
Eastern-Europe faces big problems: Ukraine needs more help while Russia builds-up its forces. Jade McGlynn who works in east Ukraine says that Russians plan winter attacks which could be extra-dangerous if US gets busy with its own problems
Middle-east situation adds more worries to the mix. Aaron Miller former State dept advisor thinks that Iran-Israel conflict might get worse – and US might not be able to help properly if its dealing with post-election mess
The situation gives opportunities to US rivals:
- Russia can use chaos to push harder in Ukraine
- China might increase its influence globally
- Iran could escalate middle-east tensions
- North Korea might test more weapons
Democracy expert Nic Cheeseman points out that US rivals like using such moments to show that western democracy doesnt work. If theres street violence or election disputes; it helps their message a lot
US politics already affects global issues – just look at how hard it is to approve Ukraine help these days. If Harris wins and faces Republican blocks on diplomat appointments; world problems might get worse