US 2020: What does the world make of it all?

On Monday, October 26 at 19:30 GMT:
It is said that US presidential elections are national events with international consequences, and next month’s face-off between incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden is likely to be one of the most scrutinised in history outside of the United States.

Under Trump’s “America First” policies, the US has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, imposed travel bans on several Muslim-majority countries and separated Latin American children from their parents at its southern border. It has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, rolled back a process of normalisation with Cuba, torn up the Iran nuclear deal and, despite Palestinian protests, moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

For Trump’s opponents, these moves are an embarrassment and have diminished America’s standing on the global stage – a position backed by international polling. For supporters, though, his actions highlight what they see as a strong leader putting US interests above all else. Trump’s cheerleaders also point to the thawing of relations between the US and North Korea and the killing of former ISIL (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The world watched the US unusually closely as all of this unfolded and, with the race for the White House on its final lap, the minutiae of Washington politics dominate global media. In this episode of The Stream, we speak to Al Jazeera correspondents about what this hugely consequential election means to the places they report from.

On this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:
Elizabeth Puranam, @LizPuranam
Al Jazeera correspondent

John Holman, @JohnHolman100
Al Jazeera correspondent

Dorsa Jabbari, @DorsaJabbari
Al Jazeera correspondent