A job interview for the White House

Need another reason to watch the debate tonight? In his Seven Questions interview, elections expert and Northeastern University professor Alan Schroeder told FP: [The debates have] been called a job interview, so a lot of times we are just going on instinct. You don’t know what really will happen when you hire someone, so does ...

By , International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Colombia.

Need another reason to watch the debate tonight? In his Seven Questions interview, elections expert and Northeastern University professor Alan Schroeder told FP:

Need another reason to watch the debate tonight? In his Seven Questions interview, elections expert and Northeastern University professor Alan Schroeder told FP:

[The debates have] been called a job interview, so a lot of times we are just going on instinct. You don’t know what really will happen when you hire someone, so does this person give off an aura of being able to handle the very difficult job of being president? You can’t know for sure, but you can apply the very same judgments about human interaction that you use on daily basis. That’s what debates do that the rest of the campaign trail doesn’t.

Read the whole interview for Professor Schroeder’s take on each of the candidates’ debating styles. You might even wind up more prepared than the presidential hopefuls.

Elizabeth Dickinson is International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Colombia.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.