AMERICANS VOTE IN CRUCIAL POLLS, WORLD HOLDS ITS BREATH
Today’s Zaman
Nov 4 2008
Turkey
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain hit key battleground
states in the last 48 hours to make a difference.
As Americans go to polling places to cast the ballots that will
determine the next president of the United States today, the world
is closely watching the latest updates on the results.
Though world opinion is not expected to make any real impact on the
US election, it does put pressure on American expats who wield the
power of absentee ballots. Democratic candidate Barack Obama has been
holding a clear lead among Americans living outside of the country
for some time now.
Along with many other countries, Turkey is also curious about who the
next resident of the White House will be as it may have long-term
repercussions. At stake is the future of US foreign policy as well
its fiscal and economic policies. Many government officials, including
those of Turkey, have sent foreign policy advisors to meet with their
colleagues on both candidates’ teams in a bid to get a feeling of
what changes might be on the horizon. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan dispatched his chief foreign policy advisor, Ahmet Davutoglu,
to the US last week to get a first-hand look on the candidates’ views.
Last June a Pew Global Attitudes Project survey of 24 countries found
that in all but three countries Obama was the clear favorite. In
Europe, the presumptive Democratic candidate was the overwhelming
choice. The BBC World Service poll, the results of which were published
last September, found that Obama was favored by a four-to-one margin
across the 22,500 people polled in 22 countries. Another poll, taken
by the Reader’s Digest magazine showed that in 16 out of 17 countries
surveyed, Obama was the clear winner.
Another recent opinion poll showed more than 70 nations favoring
Democratic nominee Obama, by a resounding three-to-one margin over
Republican John McCain. Twenty-two percent of Turks polled said
they wanted to see Obama elected US president, while only 8 percent
supported McCain, according to a Gallup poll of 70 countries conducted
between May and September.
The overwhelming majority of Turks believe Obama will be helpful in
repairing the damage to the image of the US worldwide, caused by the
unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The voted-down Iraqi resolution
allowing US troops to open a new front from northern Iraq through
Turkish territory is still fresh in the memories of many Turks. They
may feel more comfortable seeing a new face in the White House whose
new policy will likely shift the priorities of US foreign policy.
Senator Obama is popular amongst Turks, but some are concerned
that relations with the United States could suffer a blow under his
presidency given his firm pledges of support for Armenian claims of
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, charges categorically
denied by Ankara. Some analysts disagree, however, saying that it is
all campaign talk and Obama will be more careful once he enters the
White House.
Obama also caused concern when it emerged that he referred to Turkey
as an "invader" in a letter to a Greek-American group. McCain, on
the other hand, is perceived as a follower of the policies of the
unpopular George W. Bush, and his hawkish stance on Iran’s nuclear
program raises fears of a clash between Washington and Ankara over
sanctions on Tehran. Turks also dislike Obama’s choice of US Senator
Joe Biden as vice presidential candidate. Biden’s track record shows
he has been in disagreement with Ankara’s policies..
Curiosity grows
When Sri Murtiningsi asked her third grade class what they wanted to
be when they grew up, the answers ranged from doctors to a pilot. One
curly haired boy raised his hand: Obama said his dream was to be
president of the United States.
Forty years later Murtiningsi — like the rest of the world — is
watching closely as Americans head to head to the polls today.
Many believe Obama’s international experience would go a long way in
helping repair damage caused by the unpopular US-led war in Iraq,
with recent opinion polls from more than 70 nations favoring him a
resounding three-to-one over McCain.
Newspapers across the globe came out in support of the Democratic
candidate on Monday.
"Obama the best hope for US revival," said an editorial in The
Australian Financial Review said. The Gulf News, an English-language
paper in the United Arab Emirates, agreed, saying only he could "undo
the great damage done by the Bush administration to America’s image,"
especially in the Middle East. Obama "deserves to win," declared The
Irish Times.
Election fever was also high in Vietnam, where McCain is known by
some as the US fighter pilot who was shot down in Hanoi during a 1967
bombing run and then held prisoner of war for more than five years.
As a US senator in the 1990s he helped normalize bilateral relations,
so he is "someone who understands Vietnam," said Phan Manh Tien, 54,
a retired soldier and truck driver, though even he prefers Obama. Like
many in this wear-wary nation, the reason is simple: He sees the
Democrat as less hawkish. Le Lan Anh, a Hanoi real estate tycoon and
novelist, is among the few who disagree.
She says McCain is "a great man," because he passed up the opportunity
to leave prison early, ahead of other US inmates. "He’s patriotic. As a
soldier, he came here to destroy my country, but I admire his dignity."
Many in Pakistan, a close ally in the US war on terror, will be glued
to television sets on election day.
The results, they say, will have broad implications for their own
Muslim country and neighboring Afghanistan, where American forces
have been battling the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies. Violence has
spread in recent months from tradition border regions to the capital,
Islamabad, where a recent suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel left
more than 50 dead.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
