The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized a webinar titled “Upcoming US Elections, Possible Outcomes & Prospects of Relations with Pakistan” on October 13, 2020. The speakers at the webinar were: Daniel Markey, Senior Research Professor, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, D.C; Dr. Rifaat Hussain, Professor & Head of Department of Government and Public Policy in School of Social Sciences and Humanities at National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad; and Mr. Nadeem Zaman Director, Association of Pakistani Americans, Texas.
The webinar was moderated by Mr. Najam Rafique, Director Research at ISSI. In his remarks Mr. Rafique stated that in the US, over 200,000 people have died of the Covid-19 pandemic, 43 million household’s face the threat of eviction and million have filed for unemployment. Amid this public emergency, the killing of George Floyd has sparked a public outcry of systemic racism. It is in this unprecedented context that the US is approaching its most consequential election in history. He further added that President Trump is running for his second term with a white supremacist agenda with complete disregard to legal norms, actively emboldening far right militias who just several weeks ago murdered black lives matter protesters in Wisconsin . He added that many criticize Joe Biden for conservatively pandering to moderate voters at the expense of younger generations who are over-whelming in favor for a systemic change.
