Foreign editorial comment on Obama's election

[November 07, 2008]  (AP)  Excerpts from foreign newspaper editorials on the election of Barack Obama:

The Times of London:

The world has been fascinated and profoundly moved by this election most of all because of what America is -- a nation founded on universal aspirations, and thus a mirror to humanity. For two centuries that mirror has seemed irreparably cracked by the legacy of slavery and segregation, a pernicious and enduring racism that remains a factor in the blighted lives of so many of the poor blacks among whom Mr. Obama launched his political career. He is not the last role model they will ever need, but he is the most powerful proof his country has produced that it is ready to judge them by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

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On the Net:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/

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The Guardian, London:

The weight of expectation that rests today on the frame of a 47-year-old senator with no real executive experience is too great for one man and, in all probability, too large for one term of office. The nearest parallels are Abraham Lincoln taking over on the brink of civil war, or Franklin Roosevelt arriving in the Great Depression. America, it seems, often reaches for a great man in its greatest need.

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On the Net:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

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La Stampa, Italy:

A man of color who enters the White House, a role that until recently could only be imagined in some well-intentioned Hollywood film, represents much more than a racial revolution ... it depends on the strong sign of newness by the majority of Americans from the middle class capable of voting Republican or Democrat depending on the circumstances. ... The new president knows better than anyone else -- he said it in his first speech -- of having enormous problems to resolve. We will see of what stuff he is made of, his capacity to support a government, outside of his unquestioned media talents ... .

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On the Net:

http://www.lastampa.it/

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Berliner Morgenpost, Germany:

If there is such a thing as a global emotional atmosphere, it changed on Wednesday. The clear choice of Barack Obama as 44th president of the USA marks a change in the climate which not even skeptics will be able to escape. In the midst of an international crisis, Obama's victory gives rise to a moment of global confidence. The globe is caught up in a feeling of "Yes, we can."

The cool, charismatic man is, first and foremost, one of those heads of state who the people do not have to make apologies for. His victory means relief -- for the USA, where many are ashamed of President Bush, and for the western world, where many shared in the sense of shame. The massive turnout also did democracy a great service. America has shown the world that citizens are not helpless, but rather are able to effect change with their votes. The country has radically reinvented itself. The world looks on in amazement.

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On the Net:

http://www.morgenpost.de/

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Le Monde, France:

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States has prompted a glut of superlatives almost everywhere in the world: some call it the event of the century, others the hope of a new beginning, while yet others describe it as the arrival of a new breed of candidate, the first real president of the 21st century! There is some truth to all this hyperbole. The arrival of the first black person in the White House is an essential symbol of change for the image of the United States, tarnished by eight years of the Bush presidency. But this euphoria carries the risk of disappointment. Barack Obama is aware of this, insisting in his speech in Chicago on the difficulties facing all Americans and on the long path they face to conquer three major challenges: two wars, in the Middle East and Asia, and the social and economic consequences of the financial crisis.

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On the Net:

http://www.lemonde.fr/

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O Estado de S. Paulo, Brazil:

Naturally, the passionate curiosity with which the world followed the unprecedented election campaign in the United States in large measure reflected the fascination with the personality and career of this young first-term senator whose candidacy seemed to have been born with the intention of challenging the most entrenched beliefs in American politics -- to begin with the presumed impossibility of a black to reach the country's highest office. But the world's interest in the dispute was also fueled by a question (and an undisguised hope): Could it be that after the huge setback of the last eight years, the United States could find within itself the strength to reconcile with the values that made their exemplary democracy? We were rooting for Obama because we were rooting for the resurgence of the American dream.

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On the Net:

http://www.estadao.com.br/

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Jomhuri Eslami, Iran:

While arrogance and support to Israel are major parts of the U.S. imperialism, expecting change in the US policy under Obama, is a naive expectation.

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On the Net:

http://www.jomhourieslami.com/

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Resalat, Iran:

We can consider Obama as an opportunity, avoiding extreme optimism or pessimism.

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On the Net:

http://www.resalat-news.com/

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Al-Ahram, Egypt's main state-owned newspaper:

Obama has a historic opportunity to make peace in the world and to stop the Islamophobia which was championed by the outgoing administration.

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On the Net:

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/

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Al-Hayat, London-based, Saudi-owned newspaper:

We do not harbor high expectations and we are not expecting an immediate gift from Obama to those who dream that America (under Obama) will be less biased in the Middle East.

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On the Net:

http://www.alhayat.com/

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Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

We in the Arab and Islamic world should not be tempted to believe that Obama will lay his prayer rug in a mosque, declare himself to be of Islamic faith, become hostile to Israel and pull his troops from Iraq or Afghanistan.

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On the Net:

http://www.alriyadh.com/

[Associated Press]

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