While viewing the pictures in class on Wednesday of the crowd's reaction to Obama's speech in Grant Park, words such as "excitement" and "pride" were used to describe the feelings portrayed by the pictures. Seeing the positive reaction of those in the United States made me wonder how the rest of the world received the election of Obama to be the next president of the United States. I found an article that described the world's reaction as "elation". According to the article, "in country after country, elation over Obama's victory was palpable, the hunger for a change of American leadership as strong outside the U.S. as in it." I was not surprised to see that there was such a positive reaction on a global scale. From London to China to Africa, people all around the world are looking to Obama to reestablish the US foreign policy for harmonious relations between the US and the world. Although this is quite a large feat, people still celebrated. I found the celbrations in Kenya, the country of Obama's late father, to be most interesting as described in this article. In honor of Obama's election, the Kenyan President declared Thursday a national holiday, "allowing celebrations to continue through the night and into a second day. " Obama's step-brother that lives in Kenya was carried down the streets with jubilation. Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, commended the President-elect, saying "Obama gave the world the courage to dream." Overall there has been a very positive reaction towards President-elect Obama thus far, and it will be interesting to see if this optimism is retained once his foreign policy is established. Are these countries excited because, in addition to history being made, they believe that Obama will do something to benefit them that has not been done in the past? Are they more excited for how it will affect the US or rather, their own country? Or perhaps both?
2 comments:
I think that as much as Barack Obama being a welcome change to the political workings of America, for the rest of the world he is almost more of a symbol of hope. By being elected president, he helps to heal part of the stain of racism on America, while showing the rest of the world that times are really changing. It is really exciting to see how the rest of the world has reacted because it has immediately put the United States in a better light, and hopefully it is the start of a better time.
I definitely think that Americans will be viewed in a better light now that we have elected an African American president. We have elected someone who brings hope of making not only the United States a better place, but the world. I know a family who lives in Spain and they called my house to talk about the election. Apparently there was so much excitement in their town that, just days after the election, a man opened a bar and named it "Obama." Hopefully Obama lives up these high standards the world has set for him.
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