Like most American vice presidents, Kamala Harris was not given much responsibility in foreign policy matters. But in the role she did play, she made a good impression.
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In more than 30 interviews with officials on four continents, including heads of state, senior diplomats and activists, a consistent picture emerges. Harris can be many things at once: warm, but firm at times; authoritarian, but personable.
He has frequently represented the U.S. on trips to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, and has met with more than 150 world leaders. He has attended three Munich Security Conferences — a key annual event for senior foreign policy officials to set the Western defense agenda.
In recent months, he has also become more directly involved in talks with world leaders about the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. He has taken a firmer tone than President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on the plight of the Palestinians, while staying true to his general stance on Israel’s right to defend itself.
Any foreign policy authority he has had has focused on Central America. Biden tasked him with working to improve conditions there and deter families from fleeing to the U.S.-Mexico border.
As illegal border crossings soared, she came under fire from Republicans and some Democrats, saying she should have been more involved in enforcement efforts; her team maintains that was not part of her role.
The consensus among foreign officials and diplomats, however, is that Harris has a firm grasp on international affairs.
Harris has a fierce side that she displays when necessary. In 2021, she took the podium at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City to deliver a strong message to undocumented immigrants hoping to reach the US: “Don’t come.”
Less well-known were his comments in support of an anti-corruption office that then-Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei had verbally attacked for weeks.
“We will seek to root out corruption wherever it exists,” Harris, a former prosecutor, said during a news conference as she stood near Giammattei. She also met with anti-corruption activists.
“It was a difficult time getting the U.S. government to understand that the way to stop corruption was to address the deep democratic backsliding,” said Claudia Samayoa, a prominent Guatemalan human rights advocate. But she said Harris was an exception and seemed very informed.
However, just a month after Harris’ trip, Guatemala’s top anti-corruption prosecutor was fired and fled the country.
Harris has occasionally been sent on missions to ease tensions with scorned allies.
In 2021, US-French relations plummeted after the US struck a deal to help Australia develop submarines, robbing the French of a construction order. Harris quickly jetted off to Paris to curry favour with President Emmanuel Macron.
The vice president met for hours with Macron but stayed in Paris for five days, something the French appreciated, a diplomat and U.S. officials said. She toured the Pasteur Institute — a research center where her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, worked — before shopping at a famous kitchenware store, E. Dehillerin.
Harris sometimes resorts to humor on the world stage, said several foreign officials, who described her as “funny” and “witty.”
Harris has also hosted meetings with women’s groups during visits to Latin America, Asia and Africa. In 2022, during a visit to Mexico focused on immigration, she met with a small group of professional women. “I wanted to understand the difficulties that women face in Mexico,” said Michelle Ferrari, regional president of the Women’s Economic Forum, who was in attendance.
Odile Cortés, a businesswoman who also attended, said Harris sat quietly at the meeting, taking notes and asking detailed questions.
“He wasn’t trying to lecture us about anything, but he really listened to what we had to say,” he added.
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