U.S. Democratic Presidential CandidateHillary Clintongestures to spectators on the last day of the 2016 U.S. Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, theUnited States, on July 28, 2016. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has formally accepted the U.S. Democratic Party' s nomination for president and pledged more economic opportunities for Americans and "steady leadership". (Xinhua file photo/Li Muzi)
by Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of recent violent attacks, U.S. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is expected to highlight her foreign policy experience to show that she could make Americans safer from terrorists.
But at the same time, Clinton faces a tough task in convincing voters that she is better qualified in dealing with security threat than her Republican rival Donald Trump, the bombastic billionaire who has never served in any government office.
The weekend saw multiple violent attacks on the U.S. soil, including the bombings in New York City and the state of New Jersey on Saturday, which wounded dozens of people, and a stabbing attack at a shopping mall in the state of Minnesota, in which nine people were injured.
On Sunday, a backpack containing several bombs were found at a train station in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Each presidential candidate has a different set of strengths and weaknesses, in the eyes of voters, regarding their ability to keep Americans safe from Islamist extremism.
Clinton has decades of experience in government, as a first lady, a senator and a secretary of state, and will use this to convince voters that she knows how to navigate the foreign policy environment and what steps to take to fight against terrorism.
But at the same time, Trump will argue that Clinton has botched every chance she had to fight terrorism.
He will focus on her perceived missteps and muck-ups in Benghazi, Libya, where a terror attack against a U.S. consulate ended in the deaths of four Americans -- including the ambassador.
Trump will also contend that Clinton has treated terrorists with kid gloves, and that what America needs is a leader who will take every measure possible to take down the Islamic State and other terror groups.
Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that Clinton will have to continue to highlight how her experience in this area is key for stability and security, and that Trump's policies threaten to further escalate the issue of terrorism and instability rather than resolve them.
While the Benghazi attack has been constant fodder for Trump supporters, it hasn't resonated to the broader electorate.
If Clinton is going to have an uphill climb on the issue of terrorism, it will be because these attacks -and potential future attacks- are seen as a failure of the status quo to keep Americans safe, Mahaffee said.
Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told Xinhua that for Clinton, who has a pretty hawkish record, the challenge will be to highlight this record, combined with her experience, without alienating younger liberals who want a different approach to ending this threat.
"To point to her long record in handing these issues, including the killing of Osama bin Laden, to show voters that she in fact could put together a tougher response to these threats," Zelizer added.
Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua that each candidate has good credentials for the argument that each is making.
Clinton has tremendous foreign policy experience and knows all the world leaders, so she will claim that she can be effective in today's chaotic situation, West said.
Trump will argue that it takes courage to protect the United States and he is better suited on that front, he added.
"The election may come down to which of those arguments carries more weight," he said.
Right now, Clinton has an edge in voter perceptions about her foreign policy experience, but terrorist attacks within the U.S. will alter the dynamic and give Trump "an opening to push his own credentials," West added.
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