I am an ex-pat, living in Istanbul Turkey for one year, and I wanted to share a wonderful moment that shows Obama's tremendous influence and ability to generate good-will abroad.
My family and I moved here in June. After spending the primary season enthusiastically supporting Obama, canvassing, attending debate watch parties, etc, I felt very sad to be leaving during such an exciting and important election. I brought my Obama t-shirt, hat, and buttons, but I missed being able to talk about the election on a regular basis.
Thank goodness for this site, this community kept me informed on how things were going. I was so hungry for campaign news that I actually got up at 4 am to watch the first debate and the V.P. debate. I ran into one ex-pat wearing an Obama t-shirt and we had a brief, but happy, discussion about our candidate, but other than that I felt pretty disconnected. That changed last night.
My husband and I got tickets to see REM in Istanbul: they were playing for an environmental event called SOS Istanbul. REM was absolutely fantastic and the crowed loved them. After an absolutely electrifying entrance - the energy coming off of Michael Stipe was thrilling- Michael Stipe talked to the crowd and told them how happy he and his band were to be in Turkey. He then told them that he and his band were happy because, as Americans, they were looking forward to a change in administration. The crowed roared and I and several others screamed "Obama!" in response. This was fun, but the real thrill came later. At the end of their performance, Stipe thanked his band and the SOS organization and then he said "I would like to thank Barack Obama and his campaign..." and I then I could not hear the rest because the roar of the crowd was thunderous. It wasn't just me and the handful of ex-pats that were screaming and jumping up and down; here, in Istanbul, Turkey, the crowd that had come to enjoy a rock concert, not a political event, was screaming for Barack Obama. I felt joy. To me, this demonstrated how Obama can change the world. This isn't empty rhetoric, he shows respect and concern for the people of the world, and people all over the world feel it and respect him in return. I am looking forward to a leader whose world-view is not simply to fear and/or try to control those who are different. We will have a leader who recognizes that America's best interests are often served by having positive relationships with other nations and cultures.
To fill this picture in a little bit, when we arrived in June, Turks seemed mildly interested in the campaign, but were not at all enthusiast one way or the other. Some of my husband's friends were a little irritated with him for caring so much about American politics (he is Turkish) and told him all American politicians were the same and he should reserve his political energy for Turkish elections. Some people politely asked me about the election, but were not expecting the gushing response I would give in broken Turkish about how much I love Obama and what a genius he is and what a good, honest person he is etc. etc. The truth is, the response I most often got was a comment about how Obama publicly acknowledged the Armenian genocide, and that troubled them. Turks are taught that there was no genocide, and the lives lost were a result of war, not genocide, and both sides lost people. Many Turks do acknowledge the reality of what happened to the Armenians, but most believe what they have been taught. The reason I bring this up, is to illustrate Obama's skill at finding common ground and bridging differences. In a few short months, I have seen a shift from either indifference or even wariness to excitement and hope. Even though I am sure many in that crowd disagree with his stance on a very controversial issue, they are able to see the bigger picture and recognize that an Obama presidency will be a great thing for the world. In that crowd, I felt really proud to be an American who supports Obama. I also felt two cultures' shared desire for a better world, and a hope that America will choose the leader who can help make that happen.