Biden-Vice Kamala Harris: This is how she would influence the relationship between the USA and the EU and Germany

California Senator Kamala Harris.

Alexander Drago-Pool / Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has nominated California Senator Kamala Harris as a runner-up candidate.

Harris is considered moderate. As a former public prosecutor, she is primarily concerned with domestic and judicial policy in the Senate.

Nevertheless, as a possible Vice President Harris would have an influence on the relationship between the USA and the world - by keeping her back free for a possible President Biden.

Kamala Harris is an experienced, successful newcomer. The 55-year-old only moved into the US Senate three years ago; previously, she was a California federal attorney for six years. Then last year she set out to become the first woman president of the United States. Although Harris failed in the multicolored primary campaign of the Democrats, she impressed with her determined and intelligent demeanor in the debates. Also her competitor Joe Biden, who competes for the Democrats against Donald Trump in November: Biden nominated Harris on Tuesday as his runner-up candidate.

Biden's choice is initially justified for domestic reasons. Harris is moderate in her views, a politician who, when in doubt, is more pragmatic than progressive. It will not inspire the far left wing of the Democrats, but it will not completely scare them off either. And it will appeal to the broad middle with which Biden wants to win the election against Trump.

However, there are also foreign policy reasons for Biden to take Harris on his ticket. The former Vice President has repeatedly emphasized that he wanted to repair the damage that Trump had left in international relations with the United States. As a distinguished foreign politician - both in his long career in the Senate and as Vice President Barack Obama - Biden sees this as his personal responsibility.

Harris' task, on the other hand, would be to have Biden's back on this cosmopolitan mission.

Harris as the face of the USA on the inside, Biden as that on the outside
Biden wants to give Harris as many freedoms as he enjoyed under Obama. The Biden campaign team confirmed at the request of the magazine "Foreign Policy". Under Obama, Biden had managed the Iraq conflict, for example, and he was also in charge of designing the stimulus packages in the 2007 financial crisis.

In a Biden government, Harris' role would be similarly broad, but defined differently in terms of content. Elaine Kamarck, director of the Center for State Administration at the Brookings Institution and former advisor to Vice President Al Gore, told Foreign Policy that Harris would likely have “a broad legislative portfolio and responsibility for areas such as combating social inequality and for one Get judicial reform. "

At the same time, Harris was adroit enough in foreign policy to support Biden or stand in for him, Kamarck said. This is supported by the fact that Harris is a member of the US Senate Intelligence Committee and is accordingly well informed about the world situation.

"The Americans do not deserve to be represented by this man": That is what German foreign politicians hope for from the US election

A Harris-Biden foreign policy would be less destructive than Trump's - but not without conflict
In any case, Bidens and Harris ‘positions in foreign policy are almost identical. In the democratic primary campaign, both called for tougher action against human rights violations by China and Russia, more international cooperation in the fight against climate change, a return to a nuclear deal with Iran and a critical realignment of US relations with Saudi Arabia.

Particularly important from a European point of view: Both Harris and Biden want to strengthen relations with the EU - and thus also with Germany - again. The goal is cooperation instead of confrontation like under Trump.

However, the relationship between the USA and the EU would not be free of conflict even under a government led by Biden and Harris. Like Trump, Biden is a staunch critic of the German-Russian pipeline project Nord Stream 2; like Trump, Biden would also call for more European involvement in NATO. In addition, the continued economic dependence of many EU countries on China would be worthy of criticism for a Biden government.

However, a response from Kamala Harris to a question from the Council on Foreign Relations in August 2019 shows that such conflicts with the EU would be resolved differently if the Democrats won the election.

"The greatest achievement in US foreign policy was the post-war order, with its international institutions, laws and the building of democratic nations, to which we contributed," Harris said at the time. “Over generations, presidents of both parties have established this network of unshakable partners. These countries have contributed to our prosperity and have weathered the toughest international crises with us in times of peace and war. Our greatest mistake has been to jeopardize all of these advances and achievements by engaging in wars that have failed, have cost lives, have destabilized regions and damaged our standing in the international community. "