Unpacking the U.S. Midterm Elections, with Steve Erlanger and Doug Kriner

Brussels Sprouts

On Tuesday, November 8th, voters went to the polls in the United States for the first federal elections since President Joe Biden took office. With control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress hanging in the balance, the results of these midterm elections have been highly anticipated not only in the United States but around the world. Although full results are not yet in, it looks likely that Democrats will lose their majority in the House of Representatives, while the Senate remains up for grabs. The shift in Congressional power will raise questions about the Biden Administration’s future ability to execute on its foreign policy agenda. Most significantly, it is unclear to what extent Congress will continue to provide support for Ukraine amidst considerable isolationist sentiment in the Republican party. Other issues of particular concern to allies in Europe include U.S. efforts to tackle climate change, persistent trade tensions, the future U.S. policy toward China, and more. Steve Erlanger and Doug Kriner join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to unpack what the election results could mean for the future of the transatlantic relationship and international relations more broadly. Steve Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for The New York Times. A two-time Pulitzer Prize recipient, he has previously served as the Times’ bureau chief in seven countries, including posts in London, Paris, Moscow, and Berlin. Doug Kriner is The Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Department of Government at Cornell University. His research and teaching interests focus on American political institutions and the separation of powers, as well as on US foreign policy.