News Analysis: In wake of attacks, Clinton to highlight foreign policy experience to woo voters

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves as she boards her campaign plane at the Westchester County airport in White Plains, New York, US, September 21, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - In the wake of recent violent attacks, US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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.

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