A Most Favored Nation

International students at HBS share perspectives on the U.S. and its 2024 elections.

An American election is closely watched by observers all over the world, even 14-year-old teenagers from Pakistan. I vividly remember when Barack Obama was elected U.S. President in 2008. I remember Oprah Winfrey and Reverend Jesse Jackson’s tearful faces in that Chicago crowd as President Obama’s “Yes We Can” punctuated every other sentence of his victory speech. The next day, my middle school teacher spoke about Obama’s election at our morning assembly. Suffice it to say she never spoke about any other country’s elections. Such is the incredible capacity of an American election to capture the imagination of people all over the world.  

At the time, Pakistan had not had democratic rule for nine years. My middle school classmates and I had never known what an election looked like. So, we watched with fascination as the American political machinery undertook the electoral process that is the lifeblood of its democracy. We saw America with an intense sense of idealism and optimism – President Obama, purely by his oratorial power alone, was inspiring. Maybe we were just teenagers, in the thrall of a charismatic personality. But I submit to you, that those of us not from your country, even now, as adults, view your country with an intense sense of admiration.

I remember when Senator John McCain was on the campaign trail, and a supporter questioned Obama’s country of origin. Senator McCain resoundingly told her that “he’s a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.” Given the harsh rhetoric we all hear today, one could be forgiven for thinking this happened in an alternate reality. But 2008 was a time when competing politicians could still deign to respect each other.

In writing this article, I interviewed seven international students at HBS to gather their views on America’s electoral process, and the 2024 election. A classmate from Latin America confessed disappointment in how “polarizing the candidates [are].” He talked about how unfortunate it is that the “future of the most important country in the world” is being decided in this environment. He ended with exasperation at options presented to voters: “I don’t know how the U.S. got here.”

The key points that came up in my interviews were:

1.      The peculiarity of the electoral college: It is a wonder to many that the accumulator of  the majority can still lose. A classmate from India said, “it is crazy to me that for a lot of Americans [the election] doesn’t even matter. [It’s] crazy to me that certain states have stayed red and blue for decades and haven’t changed.” On the other hand, a classmate from the U.K. talked about how in the recent election back home, there were “regions that turned to Labor that had historically never voted Labor.” Could Texas one day go blue? Could Vermont go red? Another classmate from the U.K. pointed out a strange feeling: “I didn’t really consider how weird it would be being in the country but still feeling like the election was taking place elsewhere, i.e. battleground states.”

2.      The presence of corporate money in U.S. elections: A classmate from Eastern Europe said, “I know it’s a naïve take, but I am consistently surprised by how much power PACs and corporations wield in the U.S. elections...[it is] quite disappointing that individual people’s political opinion can easily be influenced by interest groups that have not that person’s, but their own best interests in mind.” A classmate from India remarked that “it is harder for money to influence outcomes in India as there are too many people – the outcome of the election is more meritocratic, allows different people to come up the ranks [and] forces people to address a wider range of issues given how big the country is.”

3.      The process itself: A classmate from the U.K. put it simply, “Y’all take too long.” A classmate from India talked about how he really appreciated the spirit of public debate in the U.S. electoral process but mentioned that India conducts its election campaigns within defined dates. A classmate from Spain found it strange that “U.S. voters need to register to be able to cast a ballot, [while] in Spain, all voters are automatically registered to vote, simplifying the process for citizens.” Lastly, a classmate from the U.K. commented on the incredibly peaceful transfer of power in the U.K. this summer where “Rishi Sunak graciously stepped down, gave a speech where he was joking.” She hopes “to see the same respect for the democratic process by the U.S. candidates after the election results.”

4.      Focus on rhetoric instead of policies: A classmate from the U.K. said, “I don't love the wild sensationalism, the complete lack of policy, nor the obligatory insistence that freedom/the future of the country/economy/society is on the ballot, but I guess it works.” Another classmate from the U.K. said, “a lot of the talk is about the two individuals, about Trump as a character and less about the policies the parties stand for.” A classmate from India was surprised to see American politicians “vote gathering in the name of emotional appeals, stirring the pot from a political [and] social standpoint.” As one of my classmates from China pointed out, Americans are voting in a “very polarized” environment.

Beneath this polarized atmosphere, students have informed views about policy – but that does not always make for easy decisions. A Nigerian classmate observed students “torn between both parties, as they like some of the policies from both sides of the divide.” Voters’ policy stances and values rarely align completely with a particular candidate, so it “comes to the order of priority of those issues.” A divided environment makes it harder to be open about moderate or aisle-crossing views.

Several international classmates are concerned around what might happen to the legal status of foreign citizens living, studying, or working in the United States. One classmate mentioned that while he thinks international students at HBS will be relatively safe from an immigration perspective, he remains worried about the consequences of a Trump victory for “minorities, women, non-heterosexuals, people of color, [and] less qualified immigrants.” Another classmate said that she was concerned “on [her] friend’s behalf, in terms of women’s rights.”

On my end, I have always admired the level of civic engagement among young people in America. Classmates of mine volunteered at polling stations on election day. There is a spirited enthusiasm here that supercharges the system, a system that works well. But for all of us observing from the sidelines, it is our solemn wish that the rampant polarization within the American body politic and the corrosiveness of the discourse on our airwaves begins to cease. America is the nation we all favored to spend these years of our lives. We left home because we felt there would be something of value here for us. This nation is blessed. My hope is that Americans can unite around all that is good, overcome their differences, and continue being a most favored nation.

Irtaza Ali (MBA '25) is originally from Pakistan. He graduated from UPenn's Wharton School with a degree in Economics and minors in Political Science and South Asia Studies. Before HBS, he worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse and co-founded Finqalab, Pakistan's first multi-asset investment platform for retail investors.