In her speech accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination as presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for national unity under the slogan “Stronger together.”
Republican candidate Donald Trump had also called for his party’s unity when he selected Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.
The question for the two candidates before the election campaign goes full gear is what they want to achieve through unity. We would like to ask, in particular, what they think of the U.S.’s role in the world.
We ask them to clarify what course a “strong America” will take.
There is no arguing that unity is the source of a “strong America.” It is necessary for superpower America to maintain its power in order to counter China’s attempts to change the status quo by force and continue the war against terrorism.
For sure, this will also be in the national interest of Japan and other nations sharing the common values of freedom and democracy.
In her acceptance speech, Clinton said: “There are enemies that must be defeated,” indicating her readiness to fight against terrorism by extremist groups like the Islamic State (IS).
We see this as the sign of a posture of protecting not just America, but also the peace and security of the international community. She should talk more about the specifics.
The emphasis on unity is precisely because the election campaign so far has thrown into relief divisions in American politics and society. This election is also a contest in leadership to overcome these divisions.
The Republican Party was unable to stop Trump’s very questionable proposals, such as building a wall on the border with Mexico. Many prominent Republicans, including former President George Bush, were absent from the national convention.
Many young people who gave enthusiastic support to Senator Bernie Sanders, who campaigned for correcting disparities, are strongly opposed to Clinton.
Such internal conflicts and contradictions will not disappear overnight. President Barack Obama once said “there is no conservative America and there is no liberal America” when he was appealing for unity. He has not been successful. There is now the question of whether the two major political parties that have defined American democracy until now are sufficient to meet the people’s expectations.
Trump called on Russia to use hacking techniques to recover Clinton’s lost private emails. He might have meant this as a joke, but this was extremely imprudent.
