Before we know the result of the US presidential elections, we will not be able to assess whether the year 2024 was good for democracy, but the results in Germany, France and India offer some hope, said Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of the think tank New America, at FLAD for another session of our cycle dedicated to the US presidential elections on November 5th.

One of the great thinkers of American foreign policy and international relations in Washington D.C., and a respected voices on the fundamental issues facing American society. Anne-Marie Slaughter was the first woman to be appointed Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State (in 2009, by Hillary Clinton). Professor at Harvard University, at Princeton University, is the author/editor of nine books, and writes regularly for the Financial Times and Project Syndicate.

In a conversation with Márcia Rodrigues, journalist from RTP, Anne-Marie Slaughter explained that, although in Germany and France – key players in the political functioning of the European Union – the center managed to maintain power, it lost votes to political parties at the extremes – those on the right and the left.

“A grave concern is that, in a time of polarization is really hard to be a moderate, and trying to see both sides, because you are quickly dumped by both sides. There, in Germany and France, I think that is a grave concern.” – Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO New America.

On the causes of this polarization, Anne-Marie Slaughter explained that the composition of American society is undergoing profound changes, and if there is a group that thinks that increasing diversity is exactly what makes the US a great country, there is another that looks at these changes and thinks ‘I don’t recognize this country anymore’.

“For the next 250 years, in a country who has been 80% European American for most of its history, there will not be a majority ethnic, religious or racial group. The politics reflect that and it’s very turbulent. Just imagine you go from a clear majority to no majority. It’s not surprising that it causes social turbulence.” – Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO New America.

Regarding Donald Trump’s relationship with dictators and autocrats, the expert explains that this issue goes beyond a fascination with men who rule with an iron fist, although he himself has already said that he admires them, and that it is more based on an ideological connection to a deep conservatism.

“If you look at Putin, and Orbán, there is also a very conservative ideology, it is anti-women in many ways, it’s a sense that we need to go back to better times, and a lot of the cultural change that has happen in terms of inclusion, sexual orientation, and women, and that is where I think he sees a connection to Putin that he doesn’t see with Xi Jinping, who is a communist ruler.” – Anne-Marie Slaughter.

This was the second session of a cycle of conferences dedicated to the U.S. presidential elections that FLAD will develop in the coming months with U.S. experts on topics relevant to the country’s domestic and foreign policy and to the Euro-Atlantic community, with the aim of promoting debate on current American politics and the implications of this election inside and outside the U.S.

With these sessions, we want to contribute to a greater knowledge of the American political and electoral system, at a time when in European countries, and certainly in Portugal, so much attention is devoted to the American political reality.

The sessions are moderated by RTP journalist Márcia Rodrigues, current international editor of the channel and former RTP correspondent in Washington D.C., where she covered, among others, the administration of Donald Trump.