Why It Matters : World Reacts

Crimes in the Time of Cholera

Katie Paul — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:19:40 GMT

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe may be the only person left who denies that his country is spiraling out of control, but that hasn’t made it any easier to stop the mayhem. Tuesday, the U.N. reported that more than 2,000 people have perished in the cholera epidemic sweeping the country since August. Some 40,000 are infected, and the number of cases continues to rise exponentially. Worst of all, the complete collapse of the country’s basic infrastructure—water, sanitation, health care—has given rise to other diseases, including a particularly terrifying drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, which could easily turn an epidemic into a pandemic. Through it all, Mugabe has squandered aid money, chased out humanitarian groups, and suppressed information about the crisis.

That’s why U.S.-based group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) upped the ante Tuesday, accusing Mugabe and his government of ‘crimes against humanity’ after collecting damning evidence on a fact-finding mission in December. They want the U.N. Security Council to see the health crisis as a threat to international peace and security, then swoop in and take over the health care system (with or without Mugabe’s blessing), and then refer the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation. Fortunately for them, they have folks with serious street credit behind them—including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former U.N. Chief Prosecutor Richard Goldstone, and former Irish President and OHCHR High Commissioner Mary Robinson.

The argument boils down to this: systematically denying people access to basic health care is not terribly different than holding guns to their heads. If so,they say, why not call upon the same international laws that are normally applied in conflict settings? The United Nations is then obliged to respond comparably in both scenarios—which means mobilizing an intervention akin to those dispatched to the war zones of Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, and Darfur. If the argument works, it would expand the paradigm for invoking international human rights law. Why? See Exhibit A: the definition of ‘crimes against humanity’ in the Rome Treaty, which established the ICC back in 1998. The key clauses are highlighted here:

Article 7: Crimes against humanity

For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means anyof the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:
(a) Murder;
(b) Extermination;
(c) Enslavement;
(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;
(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;
(f) Torture;
(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;
(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious,gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;
(j) The crime of apartheid;
(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

What they would need to do is show that the actions—or lack thereof—that precipitated the health crises constitute an attack against the civilian population in and around Zimbabwe. In the chambers of the United Nations, that could be a tough sell. The only other time the Security Council has approached a health crisis as a threat to international security was back in 2000, when it issued a relatively mild statement of concern about the global AIDS epidemic. But signing off on a document filled with words like ‘requests,’‘encourages,’ and ‘interested Member States’ is a far cry from giving the United Nations the green light to take over a recalcitrant sovereign country’s health care system and put its leaders on trial.

Politically speaking, this is already an uphill battle. Naturally, Zimbabwe’s government is less than pleased, dismissing the group in characteristic anti-imperialist terms as a‘stupid, Western created organization.’ And the chances for success in leveling ICC charges against Mugabe and his thugs have more to do with politics in New York than in Harare. Even there, the PHR is up against the same familiar United Nations stalemate. An indignant China has long covered Mugabe’s back, despite years of damning evidence against him. Plus, the Security Council now has to contend with Uganda, which just took its place as a rotating member and pledged to back only the Southern African Development Community’s ~~impotent~~ ongoing negotiations.

But before you write off the PHR plan as hopeless idealism, consider this: though novel, their interpretation of international law is pure strategy. "The idea of ‘health’ is less politically charged," said Mary Robinson at a press gathering on Tuesday. "There are a lot of crises right now. The health prism is the way to get it into the Security Council and to get them to act on it." She has a point. No one has been able to take Mugabe down over shoddy elections, tortured journalists, or land seizures, even though those are also violations of international law, but framing his crimes in terms of health could potentially shame the Security Council’s stragglers into supporting the measures. After all, it’s tough for political figures to justify blocking medical care to innocents.

What do you international law gurus out there think? Without getting tangled in a debate about the merits and demerits of the "responsibility to protect," chew on this in the comments: a) does the argument hold water, and b) will the strategy work?

Pakistan: Enthusiastic, But Circumspect

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:02:23 GMT

By Fasih Ahmed

Lahore -Reactions in Pakistan to America’s historic presidential elections run the gamut from enthusiastic approval, especially among the country’s educated young, to outraged disbelief, especially among Pakistanis who remember Obama as the presidential candidate who vowed to send troops into Pakistan if Osama Bin Laden were pinpointed and the Pakistani government failed to capture or kill him.

"I am really happy and excited for America today!” said Anum Sohail, a social worker. “It’s commendable what they’ve done, it’s history we can all learn from.” She said it was unfortunate that Obama didn’t allow himself to be photographed with Muslims on the campaign trail. “But anti-Islam sentiment is so high there that I guess he had to be careful,” she said. She did not expect U.S. policy toward Pakistan to change under President Obama. “It’s shameful how our leaders have made us so dependent on the U.S.,” said Mujeeb Shah, 38, a bookstore checkout clerk. “Obama will not change the U.S. policy of invading and killing Muslims,” he said. “America should leave us alone and respect our sovereignty!”

Adeel Butt, a 23-year-old lights salesman, says it’s too early to know what an Obama presidency will mean for Pakistan. But he has suggestions: “They should help us bring prices down, end poverty and give us cheap oil,” he said.

Citing Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s friendship with assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Obama’s friendship with Pakistanis while at Columbia University and his visits as a student to this country, Sen. Safdar Abbasi from the ruling Pakistan People’s Party says an Obama presidency augurs well for democracy in Pakistan. “Both Obama and Biden are friends of the Pakistani people and will support our recently-won democracy,” he said. The Biden-Lugar Bill would provide Pakistan with $15 billion over 10 years.

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.

Brazil: ‘The Beginning of Moral Regeneration’

Mac Margolis — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:01:48 GMT

Rio de Janeiro- Though most Latin Americans were asleep when Barack Obama claimed victory late last night, they woke up in a state of grace. From morning newscasts to talk radio, from coffee shops to cyberspace, the chatter was all about Obama’s victory and its portents for the region and the world. The legion of pundits and commentators proclaimed a new era of “esperanza”—hope—echoing in the vernacular Obama’s patented slogan, but also a kind of end of days for a brand of politics that had won the United States global enmity. “The beginning of moral regeneration,” heralded a leading columnist in La Nacion, the big Argentina newspaper. “How incredible that the United States, whose chief enemies recently were named Hussein and Osama, has elected a President Hussein Obama.” wrote Hermógenes Pérez de Arce, a columnists for El Mercúrio of Chile. The Brazilian daily O Estado de São Paulo was more succinct. “Change Has Arrived,” blared the banner headline.

Latin America, not unlike the rest of the world, has long been loco por Obama, of course. Opinion polls consistently gave him a 7 or 8 to one margin over McCain in Central and South America. “What took you so long,” you could almost hear them gasping. Latin media were deployed in record numbers to cover the campaign, following the candidates from stump to stump. (No matter that Obama the candidate rarely missed an opportunity to pillory free trade agreements; he voted against the Colombia-U.S. bilateral trade pact and has called for an overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada that most Latins and U.S. Latinos enthusiastically support.) Obama is “the better choice for U.S. president…for Latin America, for the Hispanic community, for the United States and for the world,” said Poder, a leading Hispanic monthly edited in Miami and distributed widely in Latin America.

In a way that’s surprising. A mid October poll by Latinobarometro, conducted in 18 countries in Central and South America, shows that while Latins may be enthusiastic about Obama, they have low expectations. Asked which candidate would be best for Latin America, Obama won by a margin of almost four to one. But 63 percent of respondents said that it didn’t matter, they had no opinion, or declined to answer. Only 22 percent said they thought the next U.S. president would pay more attention to the region. The Brazilian ambassador to the United States recently told of penning a four-page letter to Obama laying out key regional policy issues. In the name of four Latin nations, he hand delivered the letter to Dan Restrepo, a top Obama aide in August—and never heard another word about it. But don’t tell that to Luiz Roberto Costa, a computer technician in Rio de Janeiro and an ardent Obama fan. “Here is a guy who worked and studied and lifted himself up. He’s a ray of light,” says Costa. “Like it or not, we are all connected to the U.S. Our economic stability depends on you [Americans]. He is change and that change is going to be good for Brazil and good for the world.” But as a Brazilian saying goes, “hope is the last to die.”

Kenya: Things Will Never Be the Same

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:00:48 GMT

By Steve Bloomfield

Nairobi- Barack Obama’s victory was greeted with unbridled joy in Kenya, the east African country that has claimed him as one of their own. From the lakeside village where his late father grew up and many of his relatives still live, to the capital, Nairobi, Kenyans stayed up all night to watch the results, which were broadcast on state television. The victory celebrations, which began at 7am local time when the polls closed on the west coast, continued all day.

The new president’s step-grandmother, Sarah Obama, told reporters she might visit Washington for the inauguration but hoped that her life would not change too much.Despite visiting the country on just three occasions, Obama has become Kenya’s biggest star. His toothy grin beams out from the back of Nairobi’s matatus, the ramshackle 14-seater minivans used for public transport. Street hawkers peddle home-made Obama merchandise including t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘Yes we can’ and dollar bills emblazoned with the President-elect’s face.

The Kenyan government has sought to exploit Obama’s victory, announcing a national public holiday on Thursday. President Mwai Kibaki’s spokesman, Alfred Mutua, described the election as a “a defining moment in Kenya’s history and the history of the world. Things will never be the same again.”

Kenyans’ enthusiasm for Obama is not matched when it comes to their own politicians. Many of the current government have been accused of corruption, while some are thought to have been involved in orchestrating the post-election violence which killed 1,500 people at the start of the year. Ory Okolloh, a Kenyan blogger, said: “I hope the irony of our corrupt and selfish politicians declaring a public holiday to celebrate the virtues of Obama and his campaign is not lost on us as Kenyans.”

Obama’s father was a Luo, one of Kenya’s most marginalized tribes. Luo politicians have struggled to gain power and few believe Obama would have had much chance of becoming president of Kenya if he had been born here. The United States has elected a Luo president before Kenya—something that has not gone unnoticed by prominent Luo politicians here.

But Obama’s victory could change the way Kenyans view politics. Peter Gaithuma, a 40-year-old father of three from the market town of Kiambu in central Kenya, said the election of a minority candidate should teach Kenyans to ignore ethnic backgrounds when choosing their leaders. “Americans did not look at his race,” he said, “they looked at his leadership skills.” If Kenyans did the same, Gaithuma said, anyone could become president. “We can even have a Maasai president,” he said.

Obama's Election: The View from Iraq

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:42:09 GMT

By Lennox Samuels

The day that U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker had chosen to inaugurate his huge new embassy in Baghdad coincided with an even more significant occasion, the election of America’s first black president. The cavernous reception area in the $700 million complex hushed as Crocker extolled the historic nature of Barack Obama’s victory. The diplomat deftly linked the fortunes of the two countries he serves. “Just as history was made last night in the United States, so too are Iraqis making their own history," he said. "Like America, Iraq will achieve great things and it will do these things through its elections.”

Crocker addressed the question many Iraqis, as well as American troops and expatriates, have: “What will Obama do about Iraq?” In America, the ambassador assured, “We have one president at a time” and George W. Bush will be president for the next two and a half months. “We will have full continuity of unity and purpose as we move through our transition.” In other words, it will be, at least for now, business as usual – in this case nation-building in Iraq. The reassurance was vague and general, but few expected more. In Baghdad, the landmark election of Obama is being celebrated by most, but few are under any illusions that it will change much of anything.

At least, they insist, no change will be discernible for some time. “The government has welcomed this [result] and shows all respect to the will of the American voters,” Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari tells NEWSWEEK. “Ultimately, it will have an impact on Iraq, but I personally don’t believe there will be a dramatic change or a quick disengagement.” U.S. military brass are on a similar page. “The guidance has not changed out here,” says Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark R. Zamzow. “We continue to do what we have been doing here and our Iraqi partners are well aware of that.” That is not to say senior officers are not moved by the Obama’s ascension. “As we work our way through a period of reconciliation, this is a powerful signal to the Iraqis of democracy in action,” says Army Brig. Gen. David Perkins. Referring to Obama’s victory speech, he adds, “it shows that you are not beholden to a political party; you are beholden to the people.”

American troops are cautious about their soon to be inaugurated commander-in-chief. The U.S. military traditionally leans conservative and that is largely true in Iraq. But some enlisted personnel bristle at the suggestion that they march in lock-step with conventional wisdom. Many supported Obama and greeted his election with enthusiasm – albeit muted. At Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad, reaction among soldiers of the 4^th Infantry Division is mixed. “The Republicans have pretty much destroyed our country,” says a 20-year-old private first class from California. A 20-year-old private from Michigan offers a historical explanation for his Obama support: “With the first George Bush, we went into debt. Clinton almost erased the debt and then the second George Bush came and racked up even more debt.” Yet another PFC says his family in Montana voted for Sen. John McCain and that he might have as well – if he’d voted. He adds though, that, “It is time for a change.” A Missouri-reared sergeant, 22, morosely decries the election results. “With the Republican Party, there’s no chance of downsizing the military and there would be less cuts,” he says. “I don’t blame Bush for the recession; it could have happened with anybody."

At a time that Iraq is seeing less violence and hearing more talk of investment and restoration of basic service, many simply hope that Obama does not arrest the process. In fact, they identify the president-elect with a strong vision for their country. Karim Wasfi has watched the campaign over the last 21 months and says Obama represents hope. “I’m more hopeful with Obama,” says Wasfi, director of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra. “I hope he gets out of the impending doom of uncertainty that’s coming. He’s got a very tough challenge, but he’s a hard worker.” Even State Department employees, officially apolitical, look to Obama for a better future. “This is so affirming about the dynamic energy in our nation - the vibrant expression of the voices of our people,” says a public diplomacy officer. “Yes, we want change.”

But many ordinary Iraqis remain unimpressed. In a country accustomed to conflict and disappointment, people have a hard time seeing how one person can have any significant impact on American policy, which many view with suspicion and distrust. “Obama has nothing to do with the Iraqi situation and we don’t expect much change to happen here, for he is not alone to decide,” says Marwan Ahmed, a government worker. “He is just a new face.” Bookshop owner Naiem Abdul Jabbar sees Obama as the chief executive of a global business that has a never-changing agenda. “An agenda,” he says, “aiming at achieving only American interests all over the world, not the interests of others, include Iraq.”

Virtually everyone, however, seems to believe that Obama is up to whatever challenges he will face. “I met him when he was here and liked him very much,” National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie tells NEWSWEEK. “After he left, we discussed it and we said “this is presidential material.’ “

-with Salih Mehdi

South Africa: Jubilation!

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:34:25 GMT

By Karen MacGregor

Durban - People across Africa danced with jubilation as Barack Obama swept to victory in yesterday’s remarkable election, and were moved to tears by the victory speech of the man who will soon become America’s first black president. From Cape Town to Timbuktu, people sat up overnight watching television and huddling around radios, or woke at dawn to learn that the man they claim as a son of Africa had become the worlds most powerful leader.

In Kenya, people celebrated in the streets of Nairobi and in the western village of Kogelo, home of Sarah Obama, grandmother of the man they consider a hero, and whose face graces billboards and busses. President Mwai Kibaki declared Thursday a public holiday so that people could celebrate the first Kenyan in the White House. “This is a momentous day not only in the history of the United States, but also for those living in Kenya,” Kibaki said.

People threw election parties around South Africa. In Johannesburg, an all-nighter organised by Americans in Africa for Obama drew 200 people and offered four big-screen televisions playing CNN, booze and breakfast, dance floors and music and Obama memorabilia. Given the crime rates in South Africa, security guards were on hand to keep order. “We had a great mix of people—Americans, South Africans and people from around Africa,” said co-organiser Nastasya Tay. “Obama’s speech was an oh-my-God moment. People wept and chanted, ‘Yes, we can’.” Although not part of the official Obama campaign, the non-profit Americans in Africa for Obama group has been active in several countries, fundraising and holding events in support of their candidate in much the same vein as volunteers back home.

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said today that Africa stands proud of Obama. For millions of people particularly those of African descent, in Africa and in the Diaspora his victory represented “hope of change they can believe in.” The ruling African National Congress was confident the Obama administration would “work to strengthen ties between the United States and Africa, building on development initiatives already in place, and forging a genuine partnership to tackle challenges facing the continent,” said spokesperson Jessie Duarte in a statement.

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.

Doug Franke, vice-president of the local American Chamber of Commerce Doug, pointed out that both Obama and Joe Biden have said they see Africa as a key partner in the future. “So I think we have exciting times ahead of us.” Already, he told The Times newspaper, the U.S. gives $25 billion a year in aid, and democrats have indicated they would like to double the amount. “About a quarter of that goes to Sub-Saharan Africa. So South Africa should see an increase.” In terms of trade, last year more than 98 percent of South Africa’s exports to the U.S. were duty free, under the American Growth and Opportunities Act. “The doors are open for business with the States. With the Democratic Party in power we will have a new window of opportunity to relook at what other barriers there are.”

However, the expectations of African governments might be overblown, warned Tom Wheeler, a foreign policy research associate for the South African Institute of International Affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. “There will be many calls on Obama’s time to deal with the financial crisis, Iraq, Afghanistan and a host of domestic issues. An Africa high on the agenda would be wishful thinking.” So while Obama is likely to be sympathetic towards Africa, he will struggle to deliver, Wheeler predicted: “Also, the Bush administration has been very generous to Africa, and I wonder how much more Obama will really be able to find to pour into Africa in financial terms.”

Africans might see Obama as the best chance yet of greater U.S. involvement with the world’s poorest continent, but the overwhelming response to his victory has been one of black pride. “People were watching TVlast night, and they are very happy that Obama won because hes a black man,” said Mdudusi Ndlovu, a personal assistant who lives in the sprawling suburb of Inanda outside Durban, South Africas second biggest city. “We are also happy for Kenya.”

Nobel laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu likened the atmosphere following Obama’s victory to South Africa’s democratic transition. In a statement today he described the election as “an epoch-making event filling the whole world with hope that change is possible and boosting the confidence of people of color. We have a new spring in our walk and our shoulders are straighter. It is almost as when Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa in 1994,” Tutu added. Mandela said Obama’s victory demonstrated that anyone can “dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.”

South Korea: Worried about Free Trade

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:32:47 GMT

By B. J. Lee

Seoul- South Koreans have mixed feelings about Obama’s election. On the one hand, they expect Obama to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula by engaging in dialogue with North Korea, as he promised many times during his campaign. Unlike President Bush who refused to talk to Pyongyang during the first six years of his term, Obama is likely to try and resolve the North’s nuclear weapons program. On the other hand, they worry that Obama’s protectionist stance could hurt the Korean economy, which depends heavily on trade. The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement has to be ratified by the U.S. Congress as well as the Korean National Assembly, and experts in Seoul fear the new Democratic administration in Washington may not be enthusiastic it. Obama has said the FTA is unfair in that Korea exports hundreds of thousands of cars to the United States and buys only a few thousand American cars every year.

On security, Obama is expected to continue the six-party talks for the North’s nuclear problem, which involve the U.S., Japan, Russia, China and both Koreas. The six-party talks have recently shown some progress, with the North agreeing to disable its nuclear facilities in exchange for Washington’s removal of Pyongyang from the list of terrorism-sponsoring states. “Obama said he will even talk to enemies,” says Yang Sung Chul, a former Korean ambassador to Washington. “Such a conciliatory attitude will help promote trust between Washington and Pyongyang, reducing tensions not only on the Korean peninsula, but also the Far East.” But for the current Korean administration of President Lee Myung Bak, that can be a problem. Lee is not very keen on engaging with the North until its nuclear threat is removed completely. “Lee’s tough and Obama’s soft stance toward Pyongyang can collide at times,” warns Lee Jung Hoon, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University.

The changes Obama promised are also met with mixed feelings in Korea. Liberals are hopeful that Obama’s bold reforms will fix economic and other problems of the United States as well as the whole world. “Obama’s election is a historic democratic revolution,” Yang notes. “He is the message of hope for the underprivileged people in the world.” But his promises for sweeping changes also make conservatives nervous. They worry drastic measures to change Washington’s foreign policy can further aggravate troubles in Iraq and elsewhere. “To tackle the recession and other problems in the U.S., Obama needs bold measures,” says Professor Lee. “But for foreign policy, we don’t need too many surprises that can undermine the existing order.”

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.

Israel: Mixed Feelings

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:30:33 GMT

By Kevin Peraino and Nuha Musleh

Jerusalem- For Israelis, Obama’s victory was bittersweet. At a number of key moments over the past eight years—including during the second intifada and the 2006 Lebanon war—the Bush Administration stood squarely behind the Jewish state. Despite increasing disillusion with Bush’s “freedom agenda,” many Israelis were unwilling to turn on what they saw as a steadfast ally in the Republican party. “Bush was very good for [Israel],” says Shai Bazak, a former aide to Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. “I know they don’t like him in the States, but he’s very popular here.” Still, he added, “I don’t think this president is going to change a lot. Israel is the least of his problems.” Reaction in the Israeli press was mixed; at least some government officials grumbled that Obama was an unknown quantity and worried that he might soften the American position toward Iran. For the most part, though, Israelis took the news in stride. “It’s safe to assume that Obama will not abandon Israel,” wrote Aluf Benn in Wednesday’s editions of Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper.

At a breakfast reception at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel hosted by the American ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, Israelis stepped over red-white-and-blue balloons and watched on flat-screen televisions as the results came in. One wore a popular pro-McCain t-shirt that made a pun out of the Hebrew words for yes (”ken”) and no (”lo”). It read: “Mc-Ken,” and under it, “Lo-bama.” Other Israeli guests quietly insisted that they were relieved to see the Illinois senator prevail. “I think it’s about time for a change,” said one, requesting anonymity in order to speak freely. Still, he added, “I don’t really think anything’s going to change.” As for Israeli officials, Cunningham says a number have told him in recent weeks that they were “impressed” with Obama during his recent trip to the Middle East.

Palestinians, who have been largely disgusted with Bush’s Middle East policies, were thrilled with the election results. “I’m excited,” says Haider Shafi, who sells coffee at a Bethlehem checkpoint. “All night I listened to the radio. He wants a solution. He’ll definitely help us.” Even as many remained skeptical that an Obama Administration would drastically shift American Mideast policy, some Palestinians couldn’t help getting swept up in the moment. Mahmoud Hassan, a 45-year-old Palestinian laborer, spent three hours waiting at a checkpoint Wednesday morning. “I should be pessimistic about American policies,” he said. “But I’m not.” Still, Palestinians worried about the president-elect’s safety; many are concerned that he could be assassinated. Others speculated that an Obama White House alone would not dramatically re-orient American loyalties. “It’s the Congress that counts,” said Palestinian Mouhamad Salame, as he waited at the Bethlehem checkpoint.

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.

France: ‘We All Want to be American’

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:28:24 GMT

By Tracy McNicoll and Ginny Power

Paris- The reaction to Obama’s victory among the political classes and people on the street was one of explicit joy, hope, and a sort of open affection for American founding values that had gone into hiding through the Bush years. Some people did, however, wonder aloud whether Obama could live up to the exceptional hopes vested in him worldwide.

The historic news was announced at 5 a.m. local time. As folks scurried to work, dodging traffic and bending against the cold, wet wind, ordinary French people applauded America’s choice. That came as no surprise, perhaps, after polls have repeatedly shown massive support for Barack Obama among the French.

One woman gave a thumbs up as she rushed to work, “It’s great!,” she said, “But I can’t stop to talk!” Nathalie Bibrac, 24, also in a rush, spoke as she walked. “The first black president is a good thing. I didn’t really think it could happen,” she said. “There is often a gap between the projected votes and the reality. I think America wanted change.”

Jean Ricoux, General Manager of the Meridien Montparnasse Hotel, attended the U.S. Embassy’s ‘morning after’ breakfast. “The impact of a black man in America goes beyond U.S. borders,” Ricoux said. “But the color of [Obama’s] skin doesn’t even matter. It’s his substance, intelligence and composure. America voted for ‘the man’.”

Pascal Eudes, a 46-year-old construction site manager, had more typically Gallic reservations about Obama’s victory. “It might bring good things, but it’s happening at a very bad time and can go either way,” Eudes said. “There is a real crisis going on in America. I hope Obama can help the black community to feel part of the greater community and that he can get everyone back to work. But it can also provoke tensions and everyone has to go forward together.” Muamba Ntumba, a 50-year-old construction site boss who came to France 20 years ago from Zaire, was less pessimistic. “This is a great hope for change. I don’t think that blacks thought this could really happen. This is a show of hope for big changes.”

Mickael Theodore is a 33-year-old salesman, says he was pinching himself. “When I saw the news at 7:00 this morning, I could hardly believe it. I thought it was a joke, that I was watching ’24’ and that it was fiction,” said Theodore, elated. “Everything is possible in America. It’s magnificent. France needs to draw lessons from this. The Socialist party is made up of a bunch of dinosaurs fighting for a piece of …what? I’m really happy because when America coughs, France catches a cold. Things can only get better.”

Obama’s victory also let the French political class unleash their thinly veiled joy. Sarkozy wrote to Obama to congratulate him on his victory, telling Obama his election inspires “an enormous hope.” Bernard Kouchner told French radio, “We weren’t allowed to say until now the candidate we’d picked in our hearts and minds. Now, we can say it, and it isn’t discourteous to Mr. McCain, who had a very nice campaign.” In a communiqué Kouchner had said “American democracy has just lived a magnificent moment, one of these major rendez-vous that periodically show its vitality, its faith in the future, and its confidence in the values that founded it more than two centuries ago.”

Rama Yade, the Senegalese-born State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights—the only black member of the French government—declared, “I think this morning we all want to be American.” She compared Obama’s victory to the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten.” She also called the victory an “immense psychological revolution for France,’ picking up on a theme that has dominated in France throughout Obama’s campaign, in the country’s soul-searching on whether a French Barack Obama would be possible.

On the other side of the aisle, François Hollande, the leader of Socialist Party, declared, “The election of Barack Obama is a victory first and foremost of the American people. It had this audacity, this courage, this strength to choose, not simply the camp of progress… but a man whose orgins, positions, and skin color everyone knew. It’s a choice that has resonance even outside the United States of America.”

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.

French Newspapers In An Obama Swoon

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:24:56 GMT

By Tracy McNicoll and Ginny Power

After eight years of George W. Bush, the French press could be forgiven for going overboard the day after Barack Obama's victory in the polls.

The left-leaning daily Libération’s chief Laurent Joffrin published a fawning editorial: “At last, hope! Out of thanks, for an hour, for a day, let’s not be blasé, or prudent, or skeptical.” “After this already historic November 4, let us admit that we are, almost all, taken by a sentiment of happiness. For an hour or a day, let speak this enthusiasm that is spreading across the planet. For a few hours now, Americans have had hope; for a few hours now, the entire world has felt better. Happiness? A new idea in America.”

Joffrin says all one has to do is imagine for a moment that McCain and Palin had won, “a moral nightmare, a political horror film.” Instead, he writes, symbols bounce around in our imaginations: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, John and Robert Kennedy, four figures of hope interrupted, four prophets of the real immolated, that live again, for a moment, by the grace of this election. These are the symbols of an America that loves the future. The symbols of the America we love.” Joffrin says there will be a time for evaluating the difficulty of the task, for dissipating illusions, to dissect Obama’s flaws—“he carries more hopes than he can satisfy”—but for now, the moment is to be savored. “For an hour, for a day, we must try to believe… that for the first time in a long time, the New World can be worthy of its name.”

French newspaper of record Le Monde wrote this morning: “After having twice elected George W. Bush, in a change of direction of incredible audacity, of dynamism, of faith in its own resources, America puts an ends to its conservative revolution made up of deregulation and wild law of the market, ended by the subprimes crisis and the collapse of the financial system. Thanks to his charisma and his lucidity, Obama as such imposes himself as the man of the moment, the man of America’s now, brutally rejecting to a somber yesterday the outgoing president and John McCain who aspired to succeed him…” Le Monde adds, “Brought to power with no veritable established doctrine, here he is charged with the American dream, open and smiling, preferring calm to drama, reason to excess. He is the man who is needed. It’s up to him to set this moment into the march of time.”

Le Figaro put out a rare morning edition with a near full-page photo of Obama inscribed with the single word “Historic.” The attached editorial is entitled simply “Hope.” “Barack Obama is now not only the elected [leader] of the American people, he is by proxy a sort of world president by acclamation, even before the ballot boxes’ verdict.” Le Figaro at once acknowledges the world’s hope and tempers that enthusiasm. After listing the difficult challenges facing the new president – the financial crisis, the terrorist threat, global warming – it notes that some Europeans “will quickly discover with dread that Barack Obama is a fierce defender of American economic interests, a determined supporter of the death penalty, and a resolved adversary to homosexual marriage.” It closes, “He will simply be the 44th president of the United States, carrier of enormous hope as he is charged with finally illuminating this 21st century so badly begun with September 11 and the collapse of the world economy.”

What the World Thinks of Barack Hussein Obama

Newsweek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:24:09 GMT

By Barrett Sheridan and Fred Guterl

The most common reaction across the world to Barack Obama’s Tuesday night victory was a simple one: “Thank you.” It was a sentiment directed not at the president-elect himself, but at the American people. Having felt abandoned by the United States for so long, and especially after the 2004 reelection of George W. Bush, people across the world saw Obama’s victory as an affirmation that yes, America still does represent something special. Nelson Mandela, in a congratulatory letter to Obama, perhaps summed it up best: “Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.” It was also a good excuse to celebrate. Kenya, the home of Obama’s father, declared a national holiday, and Brazilians proclaimed a new era of "esperanza". The few disappointed by the final tally—a dour-looking Tory in London, some security-conscious Israelis—did little to dampen the global celebration.

Parisians reacted with enthusiasm and relief to the news, some of them turning on a dime to become Amero-philes. The French newspapers, after 8 years of George W. Bush, might perhaps be forgiven for getting a little tipsy on Obama. Obama fervor reached South Asia, too, although the candidate's promise to follow terrorists into Pakistan with or without Islamabad's approval cooled the excitement of some there. In Iraq, everyday citizens have their doubts about what Obama means for peace in the country, but politicians agree that he is "presidential material." South Koreans struck a balance between pessimism and optimism; they worry over the future of a pending free trade deal with the U.S., but are encouraged by Obama's attitude towards negotiations with the pariah state to their north. In Japan, Obama's victory served to remind some voters of stagnation in their own domestic politics.

Our team of foreign correspondents has cavassed the globe for the morning-after reaction to this historic election. The event was cause for celebration and contemplation in London, Paris, Jerusalem, Seoul, Durban, Lahore, Baghdad, Tokyo, Russia and Rio.

Britain: Rule Obama

Rod Nordland — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:37:05 GMT

London - The hot ticket in London last night was the Election Night party at the American embassy, and there was plenty of competition elsewhere, with festivities at pubs, clubs and restaurants, especially ones with an American theme in a town with 250,000 expats. Some 1,500 guests packed into the crowded chancery on Grosvenor Square. The embassy staged a determinedly bipartisan affair, but efforts to divide the crowd into Republicans Abroad and Democrats Abroad—both groups are active in Britain—were swamped by a preponderance of Obama followers.

There was plenty of Americana on display, and no small amount of kitsch. Once past the concrete bomb barriers, guests were greeted with a group of cheerleaders doing acrobatics and assembling human pyramids; they were the called the Eagles, and actually hailed from East London. Inside, wine was dispensed at half a dozen bars and by squads of waiters who oozed through the crowd. Cartloads of Budweiser were rolled in and before long the well-lubricated crowd was making such a din that it was impossible to hear most of the many plasma TV monitors placed throughout three floors. One lady worked the crowd dressed as the Statue of Liberty, and a young man with a carefully trimmed Mohawk had an American flag painted on the right side of his head. A “barbershop choir” of a couple dozen ladies—traditionally embassy and American military wives, but nowadays mostly Brits—sang bravely but hardly a note could be heard. In the basement, a folk rock band, also British, sang Bob Dylan numbers, and between songs made rude remarks about George Bush and Dick Cheney. At the opposite end of the room, Burger King was tossing Whoppers into the crowd faster than anyone could eat them, and Subway so many sandwiches ready there wasn't even a queue.

Even after nearly eight years of a Republican administration, the embassy crowd seemed overwhelmingly pro-Obama, and guests, even more so. When very early returns from red states gave McCain a temporary lead in projected electoral votes, there was hardly any reaction, but when more substantial returns started trickling in after two in the morning Greenwich Mean Time—mostly discerned by reading the screens rather than listening to them—there were repeated bursts of loud cheering. At the Republican party’s table, they couldn’t give away the pile of McCain Palin buttons; at the Democratic one, they hid Obama buttons out of sight and doled them out to bona fide Americans and Democrats. “And don’t put it in your pocket, you have to wear it,” one of the ladies scolded a recipient. Ambassador Robert Tuttle, a political appointee who previously was a Republican car dealer and major contributor to President Bush, made an early appearance. "People have seen democracy at its most raw. I always thought the most exciting election in my life would be Kennedy-Nixon, but this one has eclipsed it.” He left early though, and when serious returns started pouring in by three in the morning, the crowd thinned out, McCain followers going home subdued, and Obama ones hanging in until well after four a.m., by which time the Starbucks barristas with backpack coffee dispensers had packed up and left.

The Tory shadow defense minister, Gerald Howarth, sported a McCain button and a disappointed demeanor, tired of hearing all this empty talk about change, as he put it. It was, clearly, a minority view. A lot of people posed to have their pictures taken with the life-sized cutout of Sarah Palin, mostly mocking her or making rude gestures. There was no such disrespect shown by those posing with Obama’s cutout, and no one paid much attention at all to John McCain.

See the full round-up of the world's reaction to the election of Barack Obama.