The recent decision by the United States to send Vice President Kamala Harris instead of President Joe Biden to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia has sparked significant controversy.
While many have applauded this move as evidence of an inclusive and strong foreign policy, some conservatives have voiced their concerns about sending a representative other than the president himself.
Most of us generally view foreign policy decisions through a lens that focuses on national security and upholding traditional values and principles.
When it comes to military deployments or diplomatic missions abroad, they often take issue with any deviation from what is seen as “normal” protocol—such as sending someone other than the president himself to represent the United States at important international summits like ASEAN.
From a broader perspective, having anyone other than the Commander-in-Chief representing America sends a signal of weakness and uncertainty that could potentially undermine our standing in key areas around the world.
In addition, conservatives also tend to oppose anything perceived as being too radical or drastic when it comes to foreign policy matters. In this case, many argue that sending Harris over Biden for such an important mission sends precisely this kind of message—that America is willing to go against conventional wisdom if it believes doing so would benefit its interests in some way.
This could be seen by some countries in Asia as either arrogance or naivety on America’s part—a perception which could lead them to become more distrustful of American intentions moving forward and less likely to cooperate with us diplomatically or militarily going forward.
There is also concern that sending someone like Kamala Harris could embolden certain political factions within countries like China who view her progressive politics with suspicion and disdain—and use her presence at ASEAN meetings as evidence for their own arguments against American involvement in regional affairs.
This could further damage U.S.-China relations at a time when ties between Washington and Beijing are already strained due largely to ongoing trade disputes between both nations’ governments..
But worst of all, Harris is not smart.
According to the Gatewat Pundit:
Feeble Joe Biden skipped the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia this year so he sent Kamala Harris there instead.
Kamala Harris, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to…
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