Common sense tells us that there's a great deal of international excitement at the prospect of the end of the Bush presidency and the ushering in of the Obama administration. And taking a quick look at some articles from around the world, that appears to be the case. Global polling shows 67% of respondents think that President Obama will improve relations with other countries but this belies a wide range of responses. In Italy and Germany, for instance, 80% think things are going to get better while in Japan and Russia, the numbers are in the high 40's. World Has High Hopes for Obama.
Kenyans and Indonesians feel a special bond with the new president because of his personal connections to these countries--Obama lived in Indonesia as a young boy and his father's side of the family are Kenyan. People across the Arab world and the Middle East are a little more torn, some thinking his multi-cultural heritage bodes well for his understanding of global issues, while others expect more of the same. Worldwide, People Mobilize for Obama.
That's the view on the street. What are world leaders thinking? They seem to be hedging their bets a little bit more, seeing President Obama as a big improvement over Pres. Bush but having no misconceptions that he'll be able to solve every problem or that things will be easy in the short term Obama Fever Grips World:
'None of us are under any illusions about the great challenges that
face President Obama,' commented [Canadian Prime Minister Stephen] Harper, who said Mr Obama should
concentrate on the economy.
Other warnings have already come from Germany where Ms Merkel
said last week that there would be 'very serious discussions' if the
United States gave what Europe considers unfair help to its ailing auto
industry.
Russia has expressed hope that Mr Obama will make concessions
on US plans to build a missile shield in central Europe and on Nato
membership for Georgia and Ukraine, which Russia considers its sphere
of influence.
But Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed
scepticism while on a trip to Berlin on Saturday. 'I am deeply
convinced that the biggest disappointments are born out of big
expectations,' he said of Mr Obama's inauguration.
I'm sure that the current global financial crisis plays heavily into these perceptions. I think the greatest positive among foreign leaders is the prospect of restarting a dialogue with the United States rather than being dictated to. But the problems that have surfaced during the Bush Administration won't be far below the surface and it will take some time to rebuild strong, reciprocal relations based on trust.