Reporter’s notebook: Trump and Clinton going silent on foreign affairs and diplomacy

As the US presidential election race draws to a close, a potentially weighty topic has become less frequently mentioned at campaign events: diplomacy.

This is not to say that Republican candidate Donald Trump shies away from articulating his views on Mexico – the border wall remains a recurring theme when he hits the stump. But any foreigner listening lately to speeches by the flamboyant property mogul or to those of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would be stunned by the absolute dominance of domestic issues.

She insisted the bureau would again clear her of any criminality. Clinton on the campaign trail has highlighted her devotion to equal rights for women and racial minorities. She has also blasted Trump as unfit to serve in the Oval Office, but has not gone into extensive detail about her tenure leading the US State Department.