US Elections and Foreign Policy in the Age of Coronavirus
June 3, 2020
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Zoom Webinar
As the United States moves ever closer to the November elections, the competition begins to heat up. For the Democrats, former Vice President Joe Biden is set to be the presumptive nominee to take on the Republican’s President Trump at the ballot box. As in 2016, the candidates are clearly differentiated from one another, not only in terms of policy, but also in form. President Trump is clearly continuing his America First policies, withdrawing from international organizations such as the WHO and turning further into isolationism. Biden, on the other hand, prefers to follow the path of President Barack Obama in engaging with the rest of the world. One thing that both candidates appear to agree on is further antagonism with China, as they accuse one another of perceived weakness in relation to the Asian giant. The coronavirus has thrown the global economic and political situation into chaos and how the next president might define US foreign policy in the years ahead remains an open question.
The SETA Foundation at Washington DC is pleased to host a distinguished panel to discuss the foreign policy implications of US Elections in November.
Speakers
The Honorable Robert Wexler, is the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace in Washington, DC. He served as a Democratic member of Congress from 1997 to 2010, representing Florida’s 19th district in the House of Representatives before retiring to lead the Center. Wexler was named one of the “50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress” by the influential magazine Congressional Quarterly and was named to the Forward 50 list as one of the most influential leaders in the American Jewish community. In 2008, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East and Israel issues to President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. In 2012, he served on the President’s reelection Steering Committee and addressed the Democratic National Convention outlining the President’s policies related to Israel.
Mark Perry, is an independent author, historian and journalist specializing in military, intelligence, and foreign affairs analysis. Perry writes for The American Conservative and contributes to major foreign policy publications. He has published more than 10 books including his latest “The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur” and “The Pentagon’s Wars: The Military’s Undeclared War Against America’s Presidents”. Perry served as an unofficial advisor to PLO Chairman and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat from 1989 to 2004. Perry was a senior foreign policy analyst for Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) and co-founded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
Moderator
Kilic B. Kanat, is the Research Director at the SETA Foundation at Washington DC. He is also Assistant Professor of Political Science at Penn State University, Erie. Dr. Kanat received his PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University; a Master’s in Political Science from Syracuse University; a Master’s in International Affairs from Marquette University. Dr. Kanat’s writings have appeared in Foreign Policy, Insight Turkey, The Diplomat, Middle East Policy, Arab Studies Quarterly, Mediterranean Quarterly, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, and Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. He is a columnist at Daily Sabah. He is the author of A Tale of Four Augusts: Obama’s Syria Policy.
