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US presidential election: who does the world want to win? | World news | guardian.co.uk
srael and the Palestinians
Two weeks ago, Randi Mellman Oze, 54, printed off her absentee ballot paper, marked a cross next to Mitt Romney's name, sealed the envelope and took it to the post office to send it back to the US.
A lifelong Democrat voter until she came to live in Israel five years ago, changing her political stance had been "a very big deal" to her.
"I was always a Democrat, and my family are all Democrats. But I don't feel Obama has Israel's best interests at heart," she said. "Instead of concentrating on sanctions against Iran in the first two years of his presidency, he made nice to them and he put pressure on Israel. If he hadn't followed this policy, we would not now be on the brink of war with Iran."
She is among up to 250,000 American-Israelis entitled to vote in Tuesday's US presidential election, the majority of whom are believed to be backing the Republican candidate.
Polls of all Israelis, not just immigrants from the US, have shown a majority in favour of ousting Obama and installing Romney in the White House.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is widely perceived to be rooting for a Romney victory, against all protocol. Many commentators have accused him of interfering in internal US politics in his eagerness to see an ideological soulmate in the White House.
Relations between Obama and Netanyahu have been severely strained by the Israeli leader's insistence on a tougher US stance on the Iranian nuclear programme, which the US has resisted. Romney is seen as more hawkish on this issue. But he is also even less inclined to push Israel towards allowing the Palestinians an independent state – another factor endearing him to Netanyahu.
The opposition leader, Shaul Mofaz, publicly accused the prime minister of trying to influence the outcome of the election. "Israeli meddling in internal US affairs and turning the US administration from an ally to an enemy has caused us severe damage," he told the Israeli parliament.
Some commentators have warned that a re-elected Obama could seek a payback for what is regarded as Netanyahu's transparent support for his opponent. Netanyahu rejected accusations of interference, saying they were "completely groundless".
Israel has figured strongly in the candidates' own campaigns. According to Eytan Gilboa, a specialist in US-Israel elections at Bar-Ilan University, "never in the history of US presidential elections has Israel occupied such a prominent place".
This, he said, had been largely driven by Republicans, who "thought if they can move a few percent [of Jewish voters] into their camp it could have a positive result in a very close election".
He added: "Some in Israel are happy that the candidates are competing over who is the biggest supporter of Israel. But this is a negative development. It would be much better for Israel to enjoy bi-partisan high level support."
Palestinians are watching the election campaign with cynicism. Many feel badly let down by Obama's failure to force progress towards a Palestinian state, but they also know that Romney is unlikely to be a friend to their cause.
"Obama is not a saviour, and Romney will not be a devil," said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee. "Neither one is a free agent; there is a US policy of bias and support for Israel." said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee.
Those who expected a re-elected Obama to "suddenly develop a backbone and stand up to pressure" were likely to be disappointed, she said.
Harriet Sherwood, Jerusalem
Africa
Obama's election provoked euphoria in his ancestral village in Kenya, as well as among African governments who scented a chance to move up the US's list of priorities.
Four years later, there is largely a sense of deflation and, judging by column inches in the press, somewhat less enthusiasm for this year's presidential race. Sub-Saharan Africa has barely been mentioned in the campaign and the feeling of apathy is mostly mutual.
Yet residual loyalty to Obama remains deep and, if Africa's billion citizens got to vote, it seems likely he would win by a landslide.
"Four years ago there was so much hope in this country," said Boniface Mwangi, a photographer and political activist whose office in Nairobi, Kenya, is decorated with Obama's image in life-size cardboard replica. "Now we're no longer that hopeful and asking where did we go wrong. I thought Barack Obama would do well for Africa but I'm ashamed to say that George Bush did more. Obama has done nothing for us. People are very mad, especially in Kogelo, his family village: they're still expecting some kind of handout from [him]. I hope his second term plans will include Africa; otherwise he's a scumbag and a hoax."
Kenya is preoccupied with its own elections. Yet despite everything, Mwangi, who took out a bank loan to be in America for Obama's historic 2008 win, hopes that he will repeat the feat. "He's more progressive than Romney in every way. Romney will be bad for America and the world. He's shallow and slimy, like a car salesman selling junk."
Obama, who once hailed the "blood of Africa within me", has spent only 20 hours on sub-Saharan African soil since becoming president (it was a stopover in Ghana in between summits elsewhere).
By contrast, the president of China, Hu Jintao, has made seven trips to Africa, five as head of state, and visited at least 17 countries, according to the Brookings Institution.
But the Democrat remains way ahead of Romney in terms of brand recognition. Shehu Sani, an author and human rights activist in Nigeria, said: "Not many people in Africa know who Romney is and what he stands for and what he is capable of doing.
"Almost everyone knows who Obama is for the very fact that he is partly an African and there is still hope he will do something for Africa as far as peace, stability and economic development is concerned. There is a saying, 'better the devil you know'. If we haven't seen the actions, we have seen the intentions, so we give him the benefit of the doubt. We hope the second term will be better."
Commentators note that Obama's principal African focus has been security, for example in combating Islamist militancy in Somalia, with pragmatism based on American self interest.
Ousseynou Bissichi, a guide at the African Renaissance Monument, in Dakar, Senegal, who points out to tourists that his workplace is taller than the Statue of Liberty, said: "A lot of people in Africa thought Obama would be the president of Africa. Go to any centre in Africa four years ago and people were celebrating.
"Later we realised he's an American president, not an African president. Even George Bush did more for Africa and he's a white man. Bill Clinton did, too."
Yet Bissichi also remains loyal to Obama. "In Africa, we like the Democrats more than the Republicans. We think they have more humanity than the Republicans. Mitt Romney is a very rich guy. Even in America, people think he knows nothing about poverty and misery."
Some admit that Africa's hopes for the president were impossibly high. Asked if he had lived up to expectations, Michael Amankwa, an entrepreneur in Accra, Ghana, said: "I think he has to a large extent, even though some might have been a bit disappointed. He came in with too much star power, which raised the bar very high for him. Some also understand that he inherited a bad situation with the economy and so on."
South Africa, the continent's "superpower", has hosted the US's first lady, Michelle Obama, but still awaits the photo opportunity of America's first black president meeting Nelson Mandela.
Karabo Kgoleng, a radio presenter in Johannesburg, said: "I think it is disingenuous for Africans to expect anything from any American president. He is not African. He is American and his most important priority is the American people not the Africans.
"I think Africans rejoicing at his making it to office came from the need for a psychological boost as well as an indication of Africans buying into the American dream – that one's roots can be African and one can succeed in life, with those roots. Africans need to hold their own leaders to account before pinning their hopes on anyone else. Obama owes Africa nothing."
David Smith, Africa correspondent
Europe
The Obama-mania that swept Europe four years ago has faded fast amid transatlantic rows over the euro crisis, the administration's failure to deliver on its promise to close down Guantánamo Bay, and the waning attention paid to Europe by the US.
But despite the fact that the centre-right remains in the ascendancy across most of Europe, disaffection with Barack Obama is not translating into support for Mitt Romney.
Quite the opposite. There is strikingly little support for the Republican contender whose gaffe-prone visit to Europe in July won him few friends and who regularly turns European welfarism and "entitlement societies" into points of mockery in his campaign speeches.
According to the New York Times, European diplomats in Washington have been discreetly lodging complaints with the Romney camp about the candidate's criticism.
An opinion poll last month showed widespread dislike of Romney, and residual, if no longer starry-eyed, support for Obama among Europeans.
Just 5% of those polled in France, Germany, and Britain had a good opinion of Romney. Only 4% of Germans polled said a President Romney would make them better-disposed towards the US, while 12 times that figure took the opposite view. Two in five French people said a Romney victory would turn them more against the US, while only 5% said they would be happier with him in the White House.
By contrast 87% of Germans said they would vote for Obama, while in France 67% described him as their president of choice.
The ongoing German love affair with Obama started in July 2008 when the would-be president was famously denied the chance to speak at Berlin's Brandenburg gate by the chancellor, Angela Merkel, and opted instead for the roundabout at the Victory column where thousands gathered to hear him speak, cementing his celebrity status in Berlin at least.
Exploring why Obama's popularity had endured despite certain disappointments, Friedrich Mielke, said the president was viewed by Germans as a "dove of peace".
The publicist and American expert said: "We love him because we can project our own hopes and desires on to him," he said. Most people here see him as a leader of the free world, who combines intelligence and strength of character with charm and rhetorical lustre."
Romney, by contrast, was viewed as a "locust capitalist", he said, who "spreads social frigidity and egoism".
It appears that Europeans see Romney as a return to the days of George W Bush who was hugely unpopular on this side of the Atlantic.
Romney has hardly sought to endear himself with Europeans, holding the EU up as a failed model and implicitly accusing Obama of being a closet "European" – big government, social welfare, and "entitlement" culture.
Ian Traynor, Europe editor, and Kate Connolly in Berlin
Two weeks ago, Randi Mellman Oze, 54, printed off her absentee ballot paper, marked a cross next to Mitt Romney's name, sealed the envelope and took it to the post office to send it back to the US.
A lifelong Democrat voter until she came to live in Israel five years ago, changing her political stance had been "a very big deal" to her.
"I was always a Democrat, and my family are all Democrats. But I don't feel Obama has Israel's best interests at heart," she said. "Instead of concentrating on sanctions against Iran in the first two years of his presidency, he made nice to them and he put pressure on Israel. If he hadn't followed this policy, we would not now be on the brink of war with Iran."
She is among up to 250,000 American-Israelis entitled to vote in Tuesday's US presidential election, the majority of whom are believed to be backing the Republican candidate.
Polls of all Israelis, not just immigrants from the US, have shown a majority in favour of ousting Obama and installing Romney in the White House.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is widely perceived to be rooting for a Romney victory, against all protocol. Many commentators have accused him of interfering in internal US politics in his eagerness to see an ideological soulmate in the White House.
Relations between Obama and Netanyahu have been severely strained by the Israeli leader's insistence on a tougher US stance on the Iranian nuclear programme, which the US has resisted. Romney is seen as more hawkish on this issue. But he is also even less inclined to push Israel towards allowing the Palestinians an independent state – another factor endearing him to Netanyahu.
The opposition leader, Shaul Mofaz, publicly accused the prime minister of trying to influence the outcome of the election. "Israeli meddling in internal US affairs and turning the US administration from an ally to an enemy has caused us severe damage," he told the Israeli parliament.
Some commentators have warned that a re-elected Obama could seek a payback for what is regarded as Netanyahu's transparent support for his opponent. Netanyahu rejected accusations of interference, saying they were "completely groundless".
Israel has figured strongly in the candidates' own campaigns. According to Eytan Gilboa, a specialist in US-Israel elections at Bar-Ilan University, "never in the history of US presidential elections has Israel occupied such a prominent place".
This, he said, had been largely driven by Republicans, who "thought if they can move a few percent [of Jewish voters] into their camp it could have a positive result in a very close election".
He added: "Some in Israel are happy that the candidates are competing over who is the biggest supporter of Israel. But this is a negative development. It would be much better for Israel to enjoy bi-partisan high level support."
Palestinians are watching the election campaign with cynicism. Many feel badly let down by Obama's failure to force progress towards a Palestinian state, but they also know that Romney is unlikely to be a friend to their cause.
"Obama is not a saviour, and Romney will not be a devil," said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee. "Neither one is a free agent; there is a US policy of bias and support for Israel." said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee.
Those who expected a re-elected Obama to "suddenly develop a backbone and stand up to pressure" were likely to be disappointed, she said.
Harriet Sherwood, Jerusalem
Africa
Obama's election provoked euphoria in his ancestral village in Kenya, as well as among African governments who scented a chance to move up the US's list of priorities.
Four years later, there is largely a sense of deflation and, judging by column inches in the press, somewhat less enthusiasm for this year's presidential race. Sub-Saharan Africa has barely been mentioned in the campaign and the feeling of apathy is mostly mutual.
Yet residual loyalty to Obama remains deep and, if Africa's billion citizens got to vote, it seems likely he would win by a landslide.
"Four years ago there was so much hope in this country," said Boniface Mwangi, a photographer and political activist whose office in Nairobi, Kenya, is decorated with Obama's image in life-size cardboard replica. "Now we're no longer that hopeful and asking where did we go wrong. I thought Barack Obama would do well for Africa but I'm ashamed to say that George Bush did more. Obama has done nothing for us. People are very mad, especially in Kogelo, his family village: they're still expecting some kind of handout from [him]. I hope his second term plans will include Africa; otherwise he's a scumbag and a hoax."
Kenya is preoccupied with its own elections. Yet despite everything, Mwangi, who took out a bank loan to be in America for Obama's historic 2008 win, hopes that he will repeat the feat. "He's more progressive than Romney in every way. Romney will be bad for America and the world. He's shallow and slimy, like a car salesman selling junk."
Obama, who once hailed the "blood of Africa within me", has spent only 20 hours on sub-Saharan African soil since becoming president (it was a stopover in Ghana in between summits elsewhere).
By contrast, the president of China, Hu Jintao, has made seven trips to Africa, five as head of state, and visited at least 17 countries, according to the Brookings Institution.
But the Democrat remains way ahead of Romney in terms of brand recognition. Shehu Sani, an author and human rights activist in Nigeria, said: "Not many people in Africa know who Romney is and what he stands for and what he is capable of doing.
"Almost everyone knows who Obama is for the very fact that he is partly an African and there is still hope he will do something for Africa as far as peace, stability and economic development is concerned. There is a saying, 'better the devil you know'. If we haven't seen the actions, we have seen the intentions, so we give him the benefit of the doubt. We hope the second term will be better."
Commentators note that Obama's principal African focus has been security, for example in combating Islamist militancy in Somalia, with pragmatism based on American self interest.
Ousseynou Bissichi, a guide at the African Renaissance Monument, in Dakar, Senegal, who points out to tourists that his workplace is taller than the Statue of Liberty, said: "A lot of people in Africa thought Obama would be the president of Africa. Go to any centre in Africa four years ago and people were celebrating.
"Later we realised he's an American president, not an African president. Even George Bush did more for Africa and he's a white man. Bill Clinton did, too."
Yet Bissichi also remains loyal to Obama. "In Africa, we like the Democrats more than the Republicans. We think they have more humanity than the Republicans. Mitt Romney is a very rich guy. Even in America, people think he knows nothing about poverty and misery."
Some admit that Africa's hopes for the president were impossibly high. Asked if he had lived up to expectations, Michael Amankwa, an entrepreneur in Accra, Ghana, said: "I think he has to a large extent, even though some might have been a bit disappointed. He came in with too much star power, which raised the bar very high for him. Some also understand that he inherited a bad situation with the economy and so on."
South Africa, the continent's "superpower", has hosted the US's first lady, Michelle Obama, but still awaits the photo opportunity of America's first black president meeting Nelson Mandela.
Karabo Kgoleng, a radio presenter in Johannesburg, said: "I think it is disingenuous for Africans to expect anything from any American president. He is not African. He is American and his most important priority is the American people not the Africans.
"I think Africans rejoicing at his making it to office came from the need for a psychological boost as well as an indication of Africans buying into the American dream – that one's roots can be African and one can succeed in life, with those roots. Africans need to hold their own leaders to account before pinning their hopes on anyone else. Obama owes Africa nothing."
David Smith, Africa correspondent
Europe
The Obama-mania that swept Europe four years ago has faded fast amid transatlantic rows over the euro crisis, the administration's failure to deliver on its promise to close down Guantánamo Bay, and the waning attention paid to Europe by the US.
But despite the fact that the centre-right remains in the ascendancy across most of Europe, disaffection with Barack Obama is not translating into support for Mitt Romney.
Quite the opposite. There is strikingly little support for the Republican contender whose gaffe-prone visit to Europe in July won him few friends and who regularly turns European welfarism and "entitlement societies" into points of mockery in his campaign speeches.
According to the New York Times, European diplomats in Washington have been discreetly lodging complaints with the Romney camp about the candidate's criticism.
An opinion poll last month showed widespread dislike of Romney, and residual, if no longer starry-eyed, support for Obama among Europeans.
Just 5% of those polled in France, Germany, and Britain had a good opinion of Romney. Only 4% of Germans polled said a President Romney would make them better-disposed towards the US, while 12 times that figure took the opposite view. Two in five French people said a Romney victory would turn them more against the US, while only 5% said they would be happier with him in the White House.
By contrast 87% of Germans said they would vote for Obama, while in France 67% described him as their president of choice.
The ongoing German love affair with Obama started in July 2008 when the would-be president was famously denied the chance to speak at Berlin's Brandenburg gate by the chancellor, Angela Merkel, and opted instead for the roundabout at the Victory column where thousands gathered to hear him speak, cementing his celebrity status in Berlin at least.
Exploring why Obama's popularity had endured despite certain disappointments, Friedrich Mielke, said the president was viewed by Germans as a "dove of peace".
The publicist and American expert said: "We love him because we can project our own hopes and desires on to him," he said. Most people here see him as a leader of the free world, who combines intelligence and strength of character with charm and rhetorical lustre."
Romney, by contrast, was viewed as a "locust capitalist", he said, who "spreads social frigidity and egoism".
It appears that Europeans see Romney as a return to the days of George W Bush who was hugely unpopular on this side of the Atlantic.
Romney has hardly sought to endear himself with Europeans, holding the EU up as a failed model and implicitly accusing Obama of being a closet "European" – big government, social welfare, and "entitlement" culture.
Ian Traynor, Europe editor, and Kate Connolly in Berlin
US presidential election: who does the world want to win? | World news | guardian.co.uk