Reactions from Around the World

Submitted by Adria on November 5, 2008 - 2:35pm

This New York Times article is interesting. If you don't have time to read the full story, here are some excerpts I randomly selected:

Berlin: Others gave grudging respect to the American people’s intent, if not their celebrated president-elect. "Even though he doesn’t stand for change, I guess it’s a sign of change that people vote for him," said Laura Weidinger, 17.

Baghdad: "America performed the surgery and must stay with the patient until he is completely recovered," said Naseer Flaih.

Kisumu, Kenya: "This has restored my faith in democracy," said Duncan Adel, a computer technician who had been part of the election protests last year.

Dubai: "This is a historic moment not only for the United States, but so we can all get away from perceptions about religion and race and instead consider the quality of the person," Mr. Khatib said.

New Delhi: The Indian Express, whose editorial pages had been fond of the Bush White House over the last couple of years, echoed how swiftly and decisively the next president would have to act. "The way the world has been enthralled by the contest is a message that the dominant sentiment, after the Bush presidency, is not so much anti-Americanism, but exasperation with the uses of American power and a concurrent belief that with adequate political will the superpower can repair its agenda for the greater global good."

Buenos Aires: "The biggest economy in the world has a leader that the world can talk to," said Alejandro Saks, an Argentine television scriptwriter. "There is the feeling that for the first time since Kennedy, America has a different type of leader."

Caracas: "This is the first American election I can remember in my lifetime that I was eager to witness," said Armando Díaz, 24, who works at Movistar, a cellphone company here. "Before, we’d just switch the channel to baseball."

Forward Operating Base Falcon, Iraq: "What's going to happen to us? We know we’re not going to leave Iraq, but we don’t want to go to Afghanistan. We just want to go home," said Specialist Roy, of the 122nd Infantry Support Company, Fourth Infantry Division.

Beijing: "This is huge for America," Mr. Tang said. "But for the Chinese, I don’t think we are paying as much attention. Sorry, I’ve got to get to class."