As America goes, so goes the world. At least, that's what it used to be. It seems that the reception of America by the rest of the world has grown increasingly cool -- freezing, even -- over the past eight years. This is largely thanks to the Bush administration's multiple international transgressions that culminated into two prolonged wars whose justifications are suspect.
But on November 4th, the world celebrated with us in our election of Barack Obama as president. In fact, if the citizens of the world had had a vote, the election would have been settled as early as June and overwhelmingly in favor of Obama. Why the effusive support for a man barely known in our own country four years ago, much less the world?
Obama symbolizes the greatest hopes and aspirations of this country, and perhaps the world. He is the personification of the American dream and the characteristics that the world liked about us, proving that inherent special abilities coupled with hard work and determination can lead you to achieve anything.
By virtue of having someone like Obama as our President-elect, we're once again leading the world. And other countries are left to wonder ... "Where is their Barack Obama?"
In the United Kingdom, a recently conducted poll by Theos suggests that an overwhelming number of Britons believe their country is ready for what they called their "Obama moment":
Ninety three per cent of voters said they would endorse a black candidate for the job, according to the survey by the theological think tank Theos.
The results - coming on the back of the historic election of Barack Obama as the United States's first black president - suggest this country may be ready for its own 'Obama moment'.
Something that the poll calls an "institutional racism" may hinder the possibility of a British Obama:
(W)hile the British public would be happy to vote for a black leader, the political establishment would act as a barrier to an ethnic minority candidate reaching the top.
He said: "The parties and unions and think-tanks are all very happy to sign up to the general idea of advancing the cause of minorities, but in practice they would like somebody else to do the business. It's institutional racism."
Harriet Harman, the Labour chairman, dismissed the allegation as "simply wrong".
Regardless of what the poll says, Obama's election is embraced enthusiastically by Britain. And the country that had elected one of the first women PM is welcoming the Obama inspiration in the hopes of someday (soon) electing a minority PM:
Briton's black politicians have reacted with unbridled enthusiasm to Mr Obama's win, saying it will inspire a generation of ethnic minority youngsters in this country.
Baroness Patricia Scotland, the Attorney General, told The Sunday Telegraph: "It's not just about black people aspiring, because what it says is that someone of mixed race who suffered a lot of disadvantages, through talent, energy and commitment, can rise up to the highest position."
Simon Woolley, national co-ordinator of Operation Black Vote, said: "We are joyous and we are inspired and now we need to get the message to our community to come out of the shadows, step up to the plate in all areas of civic society."
The higher education minister, David Lammy, said: "We must draw huge inspiration from what Obama has achieved. Britain is a great country capable of doing remarkable things. We elected the first woman as prime minister when no other country had done that."
In France, the political makeup is largely disproportionate to that of its electorate. There are only a handful of individuals in the French Assembly or any aspect of the French government who have an ethnic background, This is notwithstanding the fact that France has the largest population of Arabic and African descent anywhere in Europe, the largest Muslim population as well. There are periods of civil unrest in the cities, most notable of which was the 2005 fire riots in Paris that spread all over France, largely due to tension and discontent among the disenfranchised French "beur et noir" youths.
I personally think no other place in Europe is the election of Obama more symbolic and important than in France:
The election of Barack Obama may have revolutionized the world's view of America. But for Africans and Arabs in Europe, he is much more – a liberator figure whose success and social mobility will help them one day crack open the closed doors of European politics.
In Paris's black neighborhoods, in the barber shops, the African boutiques, the crowded bus stops, the groceries, President-elect Obama's election is felt deeply and personally – creating a sense that it is time to push for more.
"Obama has restored belief in the American dream," says Pap Ndiaye, who is with the School for the Advanced Study of the Social Sciences in Paris. "But his election also has a direct social effect in France, because the black youth think it is possible there [in the US] but not here.
"The restoration of the American dream" is something that I've often read about Obama even before November. It also makes me wonder in that ... we would be remiss to say that racism in America will go away with Obama's presidency, but it definitely shows how far we have come along. Europe, for all our admiration of their progressive tendencies, has some unaddressed issues with regards to racism that are rarely talked about.
That while Paris has been the haven of cultural awakening for many artists, the same cannot be said when it comes to its political freedom. Obama's election is now forcing some of these countries to examine their deep-seated thoughts on race:
"Obama puts the political system in France on the hot seat," he adds. "Structures that are closed are being looked at, and it is time for that."
Few Europeans believe it possible anytime soon for a minority to be elected to high office in their countries. The Obama example highlights a sharp contrast between the ideals and the reality of what a young African or Arab in Europe can hope for as a participant in politics.
Obama's rise created a new discourse focused on ability here – rather than on race or skin as a rationale for change.
...
"The public is ready for a black president [of France]," says Fadela Amara, deputy minister of urban policy, one of the three new women Muslims in the Sarkozy Cabinet. "But the political parties are less ready."
That lack of bottom-up organization in France is also exposed in contrast to Obama's campaign rooted in community organization:
"There's no grass-roots politics for Africans," says Mr. Ndiaye. "What's missing is a thick layer of minority politicians in small towns; local officials just don't encourage this. The data for participation remain extremely disappointing. There is no 'French Obama.' "
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On Nov. 5, on the heels of the Obama election, the Representative Council of Black Associations (CRAN), led by Patrick Lozès, went to the Elysée Palace to give President Sarkozy a message of "the urgent claim for equality of the blacks in France."
In Germany, where our President-elect is known as the black John F. Kennedy and who received him with as many as 250,000 supporters back in July, Obama is a symbol:
"Germany has finally opened itself, and Obama's victory will provide a huge motivation boost for society to open itself even more," he adds.
Turkish-born Aygü Keser, a political consultant in Berlin, agrees. "Obama's victory is an incredible victory for migrants, for them to see what can be achieved, but more important, it's a signal to Germans, to the majority, that the country has to be more open to migrants and what they can bring."
As in France, German minorities are not making a racial case for participation – but one of capability.
Not only in Europe, but across the world, countries are in search of their own Barack Obama. A new politician who promotes reform and change over old government.
The Philippines closely follows the United States in pop culture and politics, and what it lacks in racial inequality is made up for by the gaping class differences and crippling poverty of most of its citizens.
Obama's victory may well be crucial in influencing the dynamics of the country's 2010 presidential elections. Politicians are already vying to become the Obama of the Philippines:
US president-elect Barack Obama's victory has inspired Filipino politicians who are planning to run in the next presidential elections in 2010. Some of them are even touting themselves as the "Obama" of the Philippines.
Jejomar "Jojo" Binay is getting used to being called "Jo-bama" – a nickname that may well catapult him to become the next Philippine president.
As mayor of the country's financial district Makati for almost twenty years, Binay said he is now ready to assume a higher position in government. The head of the United Opposition believes that Filipinos will also look for change and reform in the 2010 elections.
"We have to get away from this kind of administration, where at the onset, her (President Gloria Arroyo) leadership is questionable," he said.
Younger Filipino politicians see in Obama a kindred spirit:
Another opposition leader that is also being compared to the US president-elect is Senator Francis Escudero. The 39-year-old was placed second in the 2007 elections in his first attempt at a national seat.
"The two issues raised against him were the very same issues that were raised against me when I ran for the Senate and when I ran for the House – that I was too young and that I lack experience," he said.
Escudero believes that Obama's victory shows that there is demand for new and young leadership.
"Given the world's problems right now, their gravity and seriousness, this is one of the few things that the Philippines can and should emulate from the US - the fact that they gave their young leaders a chance, the fact that their younger citizens took the cudgels and carried the burden for their country," Escudero added.
In India, Obama's victory is seen as the triumph of hope in a cynical world:
The question for us in India is if and when we will produce our own Obama.
It is natural for people to point to Mayawati, in this context. Natural, but wrong, entirely. They are similar, Obama and Mayawati, in that both bear the identity of the subaltern, of the oppressed, in their respective societies. And Mayawati also has a reasonable chance of becoming India’s prime minister, even if only for a truncated term. But there the similarity ends.
Comparison with Mayawati Kumari, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is made but not necessarily apt:
(The article falsely asserts that Obama had grown up in a life of privilege by having gone to elite schools whereas he was rasied, as most Kossacks know, by a single mother with the help of her parents in a small apartment in Hawaii).
Obama’s electoral victory inspires hope in a way Mayawati’s rise does not. And this is because of the promise of change and redemption that Obama stands for, a promise that most Americans have bought into, as have the majority of Europeans, too, it would appear.
...
The American people have shown that they are capable, as a collective, of seeing beyond a man’s ascribed identity. Indian voters are yet to prove anything of the kind. Obama’s victory is victory of the American people over their own weakness, a step forward in mankind’s slow march to that distant state of grace in which humans see, amongst the multitude of humans who come in different shapes, sizes and shades, sameness rather than difference. This is a source of hope.
... Change, as chanted by Obama and his supporters, accepts this, and that is the basis of the present unity across multiple divides in American society. But from chant to actual change is a huge leap that Obama might well fail to perform. Yet his success creates a role model that cannot but shake up the cultural ghettos in which most black Americans find themselves. And that would lead to realisation of the emancipatory potential that exists within the existing framework but is forgone.
What would an Indian Barack Obama be like? Someone who would change that long-standing caste divisions among others:
An Indian Obama, too, would stand for change: for the collective and for its oppressed segments such as Dalits, forest dwellers and Muslims. That vision of change would combine deepening of democracy with radical diversification of occupations, breaking the correlation between caste and occupation, the very basis of caste hierarchy and associated social oppression ... India’s Obama, in other words, would see political and economic reform as feeding into and reinforcing each other. And he/she would have the energy to mobilise people on the basis of such a radical vision.
We do not know what name India’s Obama would bear. All we know, thanks to Barack Obama, is that it would not be Godot, despite the gloom all around.
In Malaysia, Obama is seen as a universal president:
It is, however, in the image the US under Obama projects to the world that the difference with Bush will be evident.
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Obama offers a stark contrast. He is black. He does not come from a privileged background. Intellectually curious, he is likely to show greater sensitivity to foreigners abroad and minorities at home.
And the fact that he, as a black man, can be elected to the presidency of the richest and most powerful country in the world cannot help but have a powerful impact on Asia. It shows a democracy that can correct itself from putting an intellectually incurious privileged white man to the presidency to putting a Harvard-educated black lawyer. This speaks volumes for the democratic system of America.
But what probably will make the greatest impact in the long run on Asians and the rest of the world is not so much that Obama is black or different from Bush but that he attempts to transcend race, to be a kind of universal man.
The way he ran his campaign and its themes, are also praised:
But most of all is his attempt to run a universalist, inclusive campaign ... He has made comments critical of the black family and has generally not been seen as fighting for blacks only.
... Tony Karon (says), "(The) reason people around the world are excited about the possibility of an Obama presidency is that they see in him a person who appears to live by that credo 'neither inferior, nor superior to anyone'. And that is in marked contrast to the arrogance with which every US president of the past quarter century has addressed the world.
It used to be said of Jack Kennedy that he did not want to be seen as the first Catholic president of America but the first American president who is Catholic. Thus it can be said hopefully of Obama that he is not only not the first back president of America but also the first president who is not only black but universal. All Asia will welcome this universal president and hope, we must add, he will not bark at them over the megaphone
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The majority of Malaysia is of Muslim faith. The likelihood of a non-Malay Muslim leading in such a diverse country is now being pondered:
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters late Wednesday that it was possible Malaysia could have a non-Malay leader, saying "it is up to the people to decide."
Abdullah's comment sparked a flurry of reactions from politicians and ordinary Malaysians. Many from the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities welcomed his comments but voiced skepticism that such a breakthrough could occur anytime soon.
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Muslim Malays account for nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 27 million people while ethnic Chinese and Indians, who are mainly Buddhist, Christian and Hindu, are the main minorities.
Whether or not it happens anytime soon, Obama's election helps pave the way:
"Can a Chinese, Indian (or a member of another minority) become prime minister?" senior opposition figure Lim Kit Siang, an ethnic Chinese, wrote on his blog. "There will be strong voices ... who would rise up to say 'no.'"
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Nevertheless, Jaymee Goh, a 24-year-old ethnic Chinese who said her childhood ambition had been to become prime minister, said Obama's triumph made it easier for her to imagine having a non-Malay leader eventually.
"If America can get a black man in that high a leadership position ... then there is no reason left for Malaysia to hold" to any racial discrimination, Goh said. "The chant has been 'Yes We Can' for the Obama campaign, and if they can, Malaysia can too."
In Brazil, where around half of its 190M population is black or of mixed race, Obama's election is particularly inspiring. Take for example, the city of Salvador, Brazil:
It is likely that no group of people anywhere in South America are watching the rise of Barack Obama as the first black US president as passionately as in Salvador, Brazil.
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Most people here say Obama's victory will affect the children of the city in a number of ways, but not just because he is black.
"Obama is not president because he is black, he is president because of the power of his proposals," said Cesar Souza, who teaches African dance at a school for poor black children.
"And that is an example to every black kid from poor areas in the world that he or she can grow up and go to school, a university, and have goals. These kids will watch television and see Obama and be curious now. So Obama will be a positive reference for people in Brazil – especially black children."
In a city which is 80% black or mixed but no politician of said ethnicity, Obama and his victory is being seen as an example
"... (W)e live in the worst conditions," said Marcos Rezende, a young community organiser who was watching the US election results come in with several dozen others on television on Tuesday.
"The victory of Barack Obama has immense importance for us because all our local black candidates in the elections always lose.
"He has shown us black people we can bring this kind of influence in holding political power in the future, that yes we can also govern anywhere in the world".
"Obama is not only going to influence the US, he will influence the politics around the world - and especially here in Brazil," said Lindinalva de Paula, who was also watching Tuesday night's results on local television.
"For the black community here, it represents advancement for us as well - and makes us think seriously of the possibility in Brazil of having a black president."
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"Black children that do not understand politics now see Obama as president on the TV and realize that someone of their colour is president of the most powerful country in the world," says Rezende.
"These kids will say, 'I want to do it too. I can do it. I hope to be the president of Brazil.'"
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How any of these would change the United States' relationships with these or any other countries remain to be seen until Obama actually takes office. His election is universally praised but now that it's been a few days since his election, the world awaits, some with skepticism, particularly in Asia, especially with regards to free trade and the US military presence.
What is evident is that the mere action of Obama's election is reverberating significantly in many corners of the world. Perhaps it is because of America's international standing, however battered it has been in the last 8 years. Maybe it is because of the historic significance of Obama's candidacy. Perhaps it is because of the man himself.
All I know is, he's already beginning to change the world even before he has set foot in the White House. And yes, this global love affair will likely not last but in the long run, I believe the Obama presidency will leave a positive mark in this country and the world that no other politician could have. Somehow, he will deliver (rather, is already delivering) on his promise to "change the world".
Call me an optimist, I don't care. After reading these and many other similar articles, I believe that he is not just our president. He has become the candidate of the world.