Thaer Abu Ras: Everyone is waiting, not only because of the traditional competition between the candidates, but also because of the importance of Trump’s personality and his position on the results.

Professor John Dabit: Harris' victory will represent an opportunity for progress in many areas, while Trump will have negative consequences, not only on the international level

Dr. Riad Al-Aila: The result will not be decided until the counting of the last ballot is completed, and there is no fundamental difference between the candidates regarding the events in the region.

Hani Al-Gamal: The day after the elections will witness a state of internal instability, especially if Harris wins due to Trump’s threats

Tawfiq Taama: The United States may witness widespread unrest if Harris wins because Trump sees the loss as a “personal insult”

Dr. Munther Al-Hawarat: Trump’s victory is a “catastrophe for the Palestinians” and will give Netanyahu more room to operate without restrictions, especially in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa

Yesterday, the voting process began in the US presidential elections, where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are competing, while Americans and the world are awaiting the results, wondering about the “day after” in the United States, not only because of the traditional competition between the Republican and Democratic parties, but also because of the personality of the Republican candidate Trump, who did not hide his position on the results in advance if he lost and his competitor Harris won, as he stated yesterday that he would not accept the loss if it was not fair.

Writers, observers and political analysts who spoke to “I” believe that Trump’s statements that if he loses he will consider the elections to be fraudulent and will not accept the results raise concerns about the possibility of widespread chaos in the United States, which may result in violence similar to what happened in 2021, when Trump supporters tried to take control of the Congress building.

They consider the current US elections to be of exceptional importance, both in terms of US foreign policy and public and private freedoms within the United States. Despite their agreement that there is no fundamental difference between the candidates, especially with regard to Middle East issues and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, they believe that Harris’ victory may represent an opportunity for progress in several areas, including the war of extermination in Gaza and Lebanon and the events sweeping the Middle East. Meanwhile, if Trump wins and returns to power, he will provide absolute support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist government to continue the crimes of genocide and policies of displacing Palestinians and seizing their lands and properties, especially in Jerusalem.

Everyone is waiting because Trump is different from the mainstream

Thaer Abu Ras, a political researcher at the University of Maryland, said: The most prominent question in the United States currently is what will happen after the upcoming presidential elections, as everyone is anticipating not only because of the traditional competition between the two candidates, but also because of the importance of Donald Trump’s personality and his position on the results.

He added: In the usual American context, the loser is declared to respect the results and the winner is congratulated, but Trump is different from the norm, as to this day he has not acknowledged his loss in the presidential election four years ago.

Abu Ras explained that Trump and many of his inner circle have declared that they will not accept the results if he loses, noting that Trump has already said that if he loses, he will consider the elections rigged. These statements raise concerns about negative reactions if Trump’s campaign loses by a narrow margin, which could push him and his supporters to reject the results, and perhaps repeat scenes of violence like those that occurred on January 6, 2021, when his supporters tried to seize control of the Congress building.

Abu Ras added: This situation is highly sensitive, noting that if Kamala Harris wins by a narrow margin, the United States may go through a critical phase of tension and instability for weeks.

"If Trump loses quietly, things might calm down a bit, but if Trump feels like the election was stolen from him again, that could lead to bigger problems," he explained.

If Trump wins, Abu Ras believes that things may go more smoothly, expecting protests from demonstrators in the street without a major escalation from within the institutions.

However, Abu Ras said that the expected closeness in the results represents a challenge in light of the growing lack of confidence in the integrity of the electoral process among the American public, which adds complex dimensions to American national security, and may have repercussions even at the global level.

The US elections are of exceptional importance.

Professor John Dabit, a member of the Democratic Central Committee in Iowa, stressed that the US elections are of exceptional importance, as candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump compete over the future of US domestic and foreign policies.

"Harris' victory will represent an opportunity for progress in several areas, including enhancing health care programs, building a strong and sustainable economy, and strengthening international relations, as she is expected to work to stop the genocide in Gaza, and seek a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue," Dabit said.

On the other hand, Dabit warned that "Trump's victory will have negative consequences not only internationally, but also on public and private freedoms within the United States."

He explained that "Trump seeks to establish policies that would restrict civil rights," indicating that "if he is able to appoint judges to the Supreme Court, this may allow him to pass policies that negatively affect public and private rights, which may undermine the legal and social gains that the American people have achieved over the decades."

Trump pledges more support to Netanyahu

Dabit also referred to Trump's pledges to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he promised to give him more support in expanding Israeli control over the West Bank, which could exacerbate the situation in the region and increase complications in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Accordingly, Professor Dabit called on the Arab and Palestinian communities in the United States to support Harris, stressing that this support is necessary for a more prosperous future that enhances freedoms and contributes to achieving a fair balance in American foreign policy.

Chances of chaos similar to the 2020 election

Dr. Riad Al-Aila, Professor of Political Science at Al-Azhar University, stressed the importance of the US elections on both the domestic and international levels, noting that the result will not be decided until the last ballot is counted, as opinion polls show a close tie between the two candidates, which increases the likelihood of chaos similar to what happened in the 2020 elections.

Regarding the impact of the elections on the Palestinian issue, Al-Aila believes that the US administrations’ support for Israel will not change, and that the position of the current candidates does not bear a fundamental difference towards current events, especially the war in Gaza.

But he pointed out that the Democratic Party's victory could lead to some tensions between the US administration and the Israeli Prime Minister if the latter continues to refuse to submit to Washington's directives. Despite this, US support for Israel remains steadfast, especially with President Biden's repeated assurances of his unlimited support for it.

On the other hand, Donald Trump’s victory may be reflected differently, as Al-Aila believes that Trump, despite his harsh positions against the Palestinian people, may take a cautious stance towards wars due to his background as a businessman, as he views international issues, including the war in Gaza, from the perspective of economic profit and loss, recalling the $500 billion deal he obtained from Saudi Arabia during his previous term.

Al-Aila added that candidates' promises regarding their positions on international issues should be taken with caution, because they are often aimed at attracting voters more than setting actual policies.

He said, "The day after the elections will be surrounded by uncertainty, as the vision remains unclear, in light of election statements that cannot be relied upon as a fixed American policy."

The next day is a turning point for domestic and foreign policies.

Egyptian political analyst Hani Al-Gamal said: The day after the US elections will witness a state of internal instability, especially if Kamala Harris wins, given Donald Trump’s warnings of the possibility of chaos if the elections do not produce results in his favor.

Al-Jamal explained that this possibility reflects Trump's readiness to confront any unexpected results from the Electoral College and ballot boxes.

Al-Jamal believes that the day after the elections will be a turning point for domestic and foreign policies, as there will be a need to arrange American priorities domestically and abroad.

He pointed out that foreign issues will be the hottest, especially with Iran's threats of a possible strike on Israel in response to Israeli escalations, which makes the Iranian file and Middle East issues the focus of the upcoming US administration, whether headed by Trump or Harris.

He added that the war in Gaza and Lebanon will remain on the table of the next administration and will greatly affect foreign policy directions.

Al-Jamal also expected that the current elections would witness an increase in the filing of objections and lawsuits if the results were close, as both candidates might resort to requesting a recount of the votes or filing objections to the Supreme Court, especially with the fierce competition within the Electoral College, which requires 270 votes to win the presidency.

Impact of the results on international issues

Regarding the impact of these elections on international issues, Al-Jamal referred to the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, expecting that these statements will constitute an important part of the foreign political scene for the new US president, and that foreign policy files will be dealt with with greater focus than domestic issues.

Al-Jamal added that internal issues, such as immigration, economic inflation, and health care, will be slow to progress, especially after Trump's threats to tighten restrictions on immigrants using old laws.

He pointed out that the next US administration may move towards greater support for Israel, amid reports indicating that Netanyahu is obstructing security agreements and humanitarian initiatives related to the exchange of prisoners between Israel and the Palestinian factions.

He believes that any change in the US administration could lead to a re-evaluation of US support for Israel, as Netanyahu's case and his handling of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank will come under scrutiny.

Al-Jamal referred to Cairo's ongoing efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel, stressing that regional solutions may be more effective under the current circumstances, and that the new US administration may contribute either to supporting Netanyahu or to press for a humanitarian truce.

Trump is likely not to accept the results if he loses.

American affairs analyst Tawfiq Tuma confirmed that reactions will vary greatly based on the results of the upcoming elections.

He said: If Trump wins, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is expected to accept the result and congratulate the new president, in accordance with traditional American protocol that emphasizes the principle of working for the country's interests after the elections.

If Trump loses, the United States could witness widespread unrest, with his supporters expected to protest and attack public and government institutions, similar to what happened after he lost the 2020 elections to President Joe Biden, when the country witnessed unfortunate events, including an attack on the Congress building and confrontations with the police, Taama added.

Taama indicated that Trump may resort to challenging the election results and claiming fraud, asking federal courts in states where he did not win to reconsider the counting process. Taama expected that the previous scenario that occurred in 2020, when the judiciary rejected the appeals and confirmed that there was no fraud, will be repeated, despite Trump continuing to believe that he won.

Taama explained that Trump sees the loss as a "personal insult," so he is likely to refuse to accept the results if he loses.

Taama pointed out that current opinion polls show an unprecedented closeness in the results between the candidates, which may lead to a delay in the sorting process, while stressing the need for the sorting process to be accurate and free of fraud or errors.

Fundamental changes in international policies

In turn, Jordanian political analyst Dr. Munther Al-Hawarat said: The victory of former President Donald Trump in the upcoming US elections will lead to fundamental changes in international policies, especially with regard to the war in Ukraine.

He explained that Trump plans to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons, which will strengthen Russian progress and stop financial support for NATO.

Conversely, if Democratic nominee Kamala Harris wins, she is expected to continue President Joe Biden’s approach to supporting Ukraine.

Trump will give absolute support to Netanyahu

Regarding Middle East issues, especially the Palestinian issue, the dialogues believe that Trump’s victory will allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more room to act without restrictions, which means the end of the two-state solution idea in favor of Israel’s absolute support for any measures it takes, especially in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The dialogues described Trump's return to power as a "catastrophe for the Palestinians," as he will adopt the "Abraham Accords" path and support Israeli steps in the region in an unprecedented manner.

In contrast, if Harris wins, she is expected to continue to support the two-state solution, but it will be formal support without concrete steps on the ground to achieve this solution, which may not lead to real progress on the Palestinian issue.

The Iranian file and the emerging danger from China

As for the Iranian file, the dialogues believe that “the Republican Party, led by Trump, may be inclined towards the option of a military solution with Iran, and will not oppose Israel striking the Iranian nuclear reactor. As for the Democrats, led by Harris, they will continue to support a deal with Iran, but with conditions that may include limiting Iranian military support outside its borders.”

The dialogues indicate that the American strategic vision will remain focused on the emerging threat from China, while seeking to stop the mutual attrition between the United States and Russia in Ukraine. However, if Trump wins, things may head towards a decline in American relations with the European Union due to his strong relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which further complicates the international scene.

The dialogues confirmed that the picture will become "very bleak" if Trump wins, which will leave a profound impact on international relations and alliances.