[Vision2020] World Hails Historic Obama Victory

[Tom Hansen]

Sidebar:  President Barack Obama may or may not put an end to the Iraq 
War.  He should, however, put an end to the Civil War.

>From today's (June 5, 2008) Spokesman Review -

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World hails historic Obama victory

LONDON – For much of the world, Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the 
Democratic primaries was a moment to admire the United States, at a time 
when the nation's image abroad is in tatters.

>From hundreds of supporters crowded around televisions in rural Kenya, 
Obama's ancestral homeland, to jubilant Britons writing "WE DID IT!" on 
the "Brits for Barack" site on Facebook, people celebrated what they 
called an important racial and generational milestone for the United 
States.

"This is close to a miracle. I was certain that some things will not 
happen in my lifetime," said Sunila Patel, 62, a widow encountered on the 
streets of New Delhi, India. "A black president of the U.S. will mean that 
there will be more American tolerance for people around the world who are 
different."

The primary elections generated unprecedented interest around the world, 
as people in distant parliament buildings and thatched-roof huts followed 
the political ups and downs as if they were watching a Hollywood thriller.

Much of the interest simply reflects hunger for change from President 
Bush, who is deeply unpopular in much of the world. At the same time, many 
people abroad seemed impressed – sometimes even shocked – by the wide-open 
nature of U.S. democracy and the history-making race between a woman and a 
black man.

"The primaries showed that the U.S. is actually the nation we had believed 
it to be, a place that is open-minded enough to have a woman or an African-
American as its president," said Minoru Morita, a Tokyo political analyst.

"I think it will be put down as a shining, historical moment in the 
history of America," said Fumiaki Kubo, a professor at Tokyo University.

While Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has admirers around the world, 
especially from her days as first lady, interviews on four continents 
suggested that Obama's candidacy has most captured the world's imagination.

"Obama is the exciting image of what we always hoped America was," said 
Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, a London think tank. "We have 
immensely enjoyed the ride and can't wait for the next phase."

The presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, who has extensive 
overseas experience, is known and respected in much of the world. In 
interviews, McCain seemed more popular than Obama in countries such as 
Israel, where he is particularly admired for his hard line against Iran. 
In China, leaders have enjoyed comfortable relations with Bush and are 
widely believed to be wary of a Democratic administration.

"Although no one will admit it, Israeli leaders are worried about Obama," 
said Eytan Gilboa, a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University in 
Israel. "The feeling is that this is the time to be tough in foreign 
policy toward the Middle East, and he's going to be soft."

But elsewhere, people were praising Obama, whose heavy emphasis on the 
Internet helped make him better known in more nations than perhaps any 
U.S. primary candidate in history.

In Kenya, Obama's victory was greeted with unvarnished glee. In Kisumu, 
close to the home of Obama's late father, hundreds crowded around 
televisions to watch Obama's victory speech Wednesday morning, 
chanting "Obama tosha!" which translates as, "Obama is enough!"

Sam Onyango, a water vendor in Kisumu, said: "Obama's victory means I 
might one day get to America and share the dreams I have always heard 
about. He will open doors for us there in the spirit of African 
brotherhood."

Obama also has strong support in Europe, the heartland of anti-Bush 
sentiment. "Germany is Obama country," said Karsten Voight, the German 
government's coordinator for German-North American cooperation. "He seems 
to strike a chord with average Germans," who see him as a transformational 
figure such as John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr.

Despite his Harvard Law School degree and comparisons to historical 
greats, Obama is an accessible and familiar figure for millions of people, 
particularly in poor nations.

His father's journey to America as a Kenyan immigrant resonates with 
millions of migrants. Many people interviewed said that the son's living 
in Indonesia for several years as a child doesn't qualify as foreign 
policy credentials, but it may give him a more instinctive feel for the 
plight of the developing world.

"He's African, he's an immigrant family; he has a different style. It's 
just the way he looks – he seems kind," said Nagy Kayed, 30, a student at 
the American University in Cairo.

For many, Obama's skin color is deeply symbolic. As the son of an African 
and a white woman from Kansas, Obama has the brownish "everyman" skin 
color shared by hundreds of millions of people.

"He looks like Egyptians. You can walk in the streets and find people who 
really look like him," said Manar el-Shorbagi, a specialist in U.S. 
political affairs at the American University in Cairo.

In many nations, Obama's youth and skin color also represent a welcome 
generational and stylistic change for America. Obama personifies not the 
America of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney but the nation that 
produced Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods – youthful, dark-skinned sports 
stars who are deeply admired household names around the world.

"It could help to reduce anti-U.S. sentiment and even turn it around 
because of what he represents," said Kim Sung-ho, a political science 
professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.

"For an African-American candidate to compete and perhaps win a 
presidential election is a strong reason for people in Asia to reconnect 
with the U.S.," Kim said. "This is such a contrast to the image of the 
United States as presented through its wars in Iraq and Vietnam."

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Seeya at Farmers' Market, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college 
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)


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