The 2024 Election: What it means for the rest of the world

It is undeniable that any election year brings about a low rumble of anxiety across the nation, and it only grows stronger as the penultimate Tuesday arrives when American voters make their voices heard about who they believe will best lead a world superpower for the next four years. 

However, the rumble of the Presidential election isn’t just felt by the 341 million people who live in the United States. “Intense curiosity” is how U.S. special correspondent Katty Kay described the conversations she’s had with people after spending several weeks traveling across Europe discussing this year’s presidential election. 

Europe is eagerly, if not anxiously, watching the U.S. presidential election, especially since the presidential candidates have had major impacts on Europe since World War II. With the advent of the Marshall Plan, beginning in 1948, the U.S. spent $15 billion financing reconstruction in Europe following six years of war. This plan benefited many nations in Western Europe, while those in the Eastern Bloc, under the Soviet Union, did not receive aid from it. This is where the decisions made by the U.S. became a double-edged sword.

The fight between capitalism and communism led to more U.S. involvement in global conflicts. While the U.S. would provide aid to its allies, countries that were neutral or not entirely Western-centered in their economies became targets for the U.S.’s containment method, which sought to keep communism from spreading. 

In doing so, the U.S. became involved in dozens of wars, whether sending in their own armed forces or supporting others. From the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Dirty Wars in Central and South America, the U.S. became a formidable nation, creating a modern legacy of presidential decisions holding the fate of other nations in the balance.

Presently, the U.S. is involved in financing two major world conflicts between Europe and the Middle East. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saw the Biden Administration send more than $75 billion in aid to Ukraine in direct support of the country, as well as tightening allyships with countries affiliated with the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. 

With the current Israel-Palestine War beginning in October 2023, the U.S. approved $14.5 billion  to be sent to Israel, with $147 million worth of artillery being sent in December 2023. These conflicts have undoubtedly brought more controversy to this election season, as many American voters are unsure of who to cast their ballots for regarding the presidential candidate’s intentions on where American spending will go. 

This issue has turned the eyes of the world to the U.S., as depending on the next president, the outcomes of these conflicts could change severely. Katty Kay stated that a change in U.S. policy “would be felt beyond Ukraine’s border and would particularly worry those European states that neighbour Russia.” The most likely result is that other nations could begin to feel that the U.S. is no longer a reliable ally, which would be detrimental in other aspects for not only Americans but other nations across the world. 

Elmhurst University junior Mujeeb Nayeem, an international student from Saudi Arabia, stated that educational scholarships for international students have changed during different U.S. presidential administrations. Nayeem stated that one change he noticed was that during Biden’s administration, more international students were able to study abroad in the U.S. than during Trump’s administration.

With Ron DeSantis officially dropping out of the race as of Jan. 21, 2024, Nikki Haley and Donald Trump remain the only two Republican candidates out of the original fourteen. As for the Democratic candidates, Dean Philips, Marianne Williamson, and incumbent President Joe Biden are still in the running.

“It is a lose-lose situation,” says EU sophomore Andrew Fapp, who believes it will come down to another Biden-Trump battle. “I believe both candidates will provide good for some communities, but neither will provide good for all communities. They’re going to cater to the crowds that support them.” 

Fapp stated that neither Trump nor Biden delivered on their promises, “which is disappointing.” Fapp, like many other young adults in the nation, believes that a younger candidate would serve the nation better, as older candidates are “too out of touch.” 

From an international student perspective, Nayeem said that he would want Biden to stay but also thinks that a younger candidate would be ideal. For this election, though, he believes “it’s choosing the lesser of two evils at this point.”