How the World Sees Obama's Election

When it comes to seeing the world change and history made one of the best seats from which to watch is the anchor chair... and this week what a view!

Wednesday night, in particular, on our program we were able to report on the election as the rest of the world sees it. Not just the headlines of international papers or a couple of MOS's (man on the street) but serious insight and discussion about what has happened and what it means for America and the world going forward. We began by talking with former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke whose name is among those being circulated for Secretary of State in the new administration. His insights were so good we doubled the time for his interview and spread it over 2 nights. We followed that with views on the election from Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, the West Bank, China, France, Russia, Africa and Latin America.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown summed up Barack Obama's election this way: "This is a moment that will live in history as long as history books are written."

The president-elect was aware the world had followed his campaign and was watching as he stood in Grant Park in the early hours of November 5th, Obama addressed part of his speech directly to those overseas. He said, "Our stories are singular, but our destinies are shared. To those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: we support you."

In many parts of the world Obama's victory went a long way to redeeming America's image and ideals, almost overnight.

Ahmad Kamal, Pakistan's former Ambassador to the United Nations, told me that there was dancing in the streets in his country (He might be excused for being a little over the top with his description). He also described how the pressure that Pakistan's government has been feeling from the U.S. for the past several years may soon ease. He shared the information that the beginning of an effective dialogue - one which could bolster the security of the United States - had already begun, even before the election results were in.

In Israel, there was optimism but also concern over whether President-elect Obama has the strength required to be tough in the Middle East. Iraqis were hopeful that President Obama's administration would result in less of a U.S. presence going forward. Russian leaders hope for normalization of relations between their country and ours. Perhaps the extent of how far his election reached was best seen in the jubilant faces of the residents of Obama, Japan, where they proudly emblazoned their rice cakes with the image of the president-elect.

Not every nation was happy with the outcome of the election. And it would be wrong to think that those who cheered his victory in other countries understand or even know the where Obama stands on the issues. Many in other lands were happy Obama won not because of who he is... but because of what he hopefully will bring to American foreign policy.... the same thing that summarized his campaign...change.

 

Follow Martin Savidge on Twitter: www.twitter.com/worldfocus_org

Comments

[energyQue]

Heres all the newspapers from around the world stitched together to make beautiful image: www.obamanewsmosaic.com

[wrylass]

That link doesn't work ...

[Bitsko]

Don't forget Ireland. The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, sent his hearty congratulations to Senator Obama.

[mulegino]

Obama's election equals a window of opportunity for the U.S. to recapture the good will and admiration of the community of nations-if-and this is a big if-the new administration does not think that the world's well wishing to America implies a validation of preventative military interventionism. It is actually quite the contrary-world opinion no doubt perceives Obama's election as a repudiation of such policies by the American electorate. It is to be hoped that Obama will not be overcome by Washington's revolving door of unilateralist hawks, neo-cons, and mulitarerlist interventionists, and can engineer a new foreign policy that puts diplomacy first, international law second, and military force a distant third, to be used only in cases where the national security of the U.S. is directly and clearly threatened. This is a must if the politics of hope are indeed to replace the politics of fear.

[AndrewInToronto]

I would agree with everything which you have written on a personal level for me, save the ordering of the three aspects of foreign policy: international law (for me) is the defining context within which diplomacy is undertaken. I would also add that I would love to see Obama finally repudiate the nationally chauvinistic notion that the American society is the beacon of the world and its foreign policy must somehow serve to cultivate that which is historical arrogance and self-delusion. I say that as someone who is partly American in terms of my heritage in my immediate family. An example would be: I prefer the Canadian notion of unity through diversity rather than the American maxim, out of many, one.

[SpaceCommand]

The world sees Obama literally as to a complete intelligence analysis of himself and his advisers. They know what to expect. Public sentiments are another layer of the process of politics, as they are entirely molded. Didn't anyone ask themselves any questions beyond thinking as if politics were sports? The American people need to study everything here in depth, and keep the promise of change alive, and that means when it comes to policy and not people, throwing out the garbage.

[ToonMoene]

The victory of Barack Hussein Obama is the victory of 3 million American volunteers of all walks of life, all colors, all creeds.

Obama doesn't have to waver, because he can always call upon this army.

[Pantelleria01]

I am an American living on a small island in the Mediterranean. Most of the people here don't seem to pay much attention to the outside world...ev­en so, Bush is despised, possibly hated. He has dragged America down into the nastiest of impressions. And, as written "nearly overnight", electing Obama has changed everything and everyone here is for him. yes, he is untested. However, the HOPE demonstrated by our island is a potent force and quite tangible.

[XME]

I think there are many in other countries who were excited by his election simply because they face many of the same biases as we do about how far minorities can get. It it great that they once again were able to see America as a place of inspiration for them, as the country where anything is possible if you work hard enough.

If anything, I think his election should serve as a reminder to us that, though our governments many not always get along, when it comes to the PEOPLE of countries all over the world, we actually have more in common with them than we sometimes realize...­they quite often want the same things that we do in life!

[dlinguist]

No matter how Bush might be revisited by American history, one thing will never change: Outside the US he has been viewed as the closest thing the US ever had to Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Think I am so far off? The big bad three I named had this in common.: they tortured, held people without charges, and spied on their own people.

[XME]

Not far off at all. On November 5th, the front page headline on Pravda was: "The End of Eight Years Of Hell". And that was just one newpaper from one country.

[vegas9999]

Only people like you will think of Bush like that. Some will remember that he did put a stop to things like this='Uday played hell with sports,' said Immanuel Baba Dano, a revered figure in Iraq who was coach of the national soccer team for most of the last three decades...­.

"Some athletes were humiliated, he said. Others were smeared with feces and jailed. Some were placed in a sarcophagus with nails pointed inward so that they would be punctured and suffocated, he said. At least a few were set in front of wild dogs to be torn to pieces. How many were executed is still not clear.

"'Nobody knew what was in his mind,' Mr. Dano said. 'But there was no pity.'"
-- The New York Times, August 17, 2003

[phoquemyope]

We all knew that Saddam was a ruthless bastard, even when he was still the GOP's butt-buddy for waging war against Iran. The point is: IRAQ PLAYED NO ROLE IN 9/11, NOR DID IT POSE A WMD THREAT AGAINST THE US. W. et al suppressed all evidence which did not support his belligerence, which turns out to mean all the factual evidence. For all the attacks against the US Constitution, W.'s lack of democratic understanding came clear when he (via Bremer) decided to deprive minor baathists of opportunity (while letting them keep their guns, duhhhh), and closing down opposition newspapers. Funny how the insurrection gained power when he did that, huh? If the only goal of our foreign policy were to depose ruthless dictators, we'd have to draft the entire country, and then tick off many of our present allies (Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, etc. etc.). The US of A always has better results from POSITIVE foreign policy, and we'd love to see a restoration of positive domestic policy as well.

[northstar11]

turn the table for a second. lets say another country launched a pre-emptive bombing on the usa .what would you think and do.

now think pearl harbour.it didnt inspire good feelings towards the emperor did it?

[buddbo1]

I agree, history can't change what so many Americans know. The office of the President has been dummy down for eight years. We tell our childen to go to school apply themselves to learn all that they can, to be the best that they can be. Being a c- student fails that message, in so much that the past eight years has failed the American public. Intelligence is important to the job of President, as being flexible to other ideas. That's another reason McCain didn't win, and couldn't win. You can't have a 72 year old, unprogressive, take the country into a new future. You can't have a sidekick of a VP stomping around the country selling hate, and diviseness of the last 300 years and assume the public hasn't gotten educated and wise enough to know better. We are a wiser public, in that we want wise leaders to take this country forward.

[dlinguist]

As a naturalized American with more family outside the US than in it, I can tell you this: Obama means two things that both matter a great deal.
1. He is not Bush. Don't kid yourself there, Bush bought into the PNAC concept that America is the singular superpower that gets to dictate its own terms. And no one but Bush could have thrown away the wordwide sympathy and good will the US got after 9/11/01 as quickly as Bush did. How the heck he managed to make us best to worst so quickly is manifest destiny in reverse.
2. Obama believes in Diplomacy. Remember that lost art? Hey, even Bush belatedly got the message. Rice visited Libya and the state department got some inroads via Turkey to Iran. Obama actually means to make inroads policy.
7 years after 9/11 and Bush finally got the hint? This man was our president? No wonder my sisters congratulated me for Obama. They, like the rest of the world, were waiting for Bush to go away.

[zbearlady]

Was it really true?

Did the vision I put so much hope into really manifest 2 nights ago in that livingroom full of tentatively enthusiastic supporters?

In only a few tense moments of time, the trepidation I felt over the growing corruption and complete lack of ethics and morals within our government, was suddenly replaced with the Iightness and hope of a new future.

The vision and hope that Obama brings to our entire world, inspires me to reach further -to stretch beyond what I ever thought was possible before.

And from this inspiration, I wrote this song/video in supoort of our children -our future generations! It is my gift of love to the planet. I hope it inspires all who see it -as Barack Obama has inspired me!
-Lynn Zanetta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gi3VNLhHq4

[truespirit]

Obama sure has brought out the best in people! This is an absolutely awesome video. And such a beautiful song and voice. Everyone should see this!

[OhioJan]

Thank you zbearlady! That is a BEAUTIFUL video/song & (I hope you don't mind) I sent it to everyone in my contact/e-mail list!!!!! BEAUTIFUL lyrics, music, AND photos!!!!!

[msjimmied]

Or maybe the world has seen we remember who we are.

[carol]

Nice work here except for one comment: Obama "did not win because of who he is." I think it is all about who he is which is what makes his destiny so interesting. The change message was salient but it is the man himself who had the vision, intelligence, and eloquence to sell it.