Yes We (the world) Can! Responses From Around the World to Obama's election

When the long-awaited results of the 2008 presidential election were announced at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard time in the United States, across the globe whether it was 8:30 a.m. in the village where Obama’s father was born or noon in Jakarta where Obama lived as young boy, celebrations erupted across the globe as Barack Hussein Obama official became the president-elect of the United States of America.

As the crowds exalted in Grant Park in Chicago where the election rally turned into a celebration, there was a party at Menteng Elementary School in Central Jakarta, where Obama went to school when he lived in Indonesia as a child.

In the city of Obama, Japan, the 32,000 residents celebrated the victory of the man who shares their name with a performance by the local Hula dance group 'Obama Hula Girls.'

My Chinese professor, Yin Yinghua, a recent immigrant to the U.S. who is still a Chinese citizen told the class how proud she was of our country right now saying, “Things will be better now.” For Yin and others across the globe, President Bush has destroyed the image of the U.S, but a young man from a country highly critical of the U.S. and its policies had praise for the election results.

An Iranian student interviewed by NBC said, “I was jealous of their democratic system and the opportunity that is afforded to each and every citizen regardless of color or religion. I wish we had the same type of opportunities here.”

As election results came in from the country that everyone loves to hate, newspapers editorials from around the world sounded off what this election meant beyond the borders of the U.S.

An editorial writer for the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, wrote of the how power anti-American sentiment may wane after Obama’s inspirational victory, “When the whole world saw America as aggressive, destructive, war-mongering, arrogant and racist, this marvelous power shook itself and showed the world a different face. For a moment, for just a moment, something else is in the air: ‘Change, yes we can.’”

The South China Morning Post’s editorial stated, “Barack Obama is the breath of fresh air Americans and the rest of the world so sorely need.”

While a breathe of fresh air has been sorely needed after years of war and months of financial crisis, no matter what time it was across the globe Obama supporters celebrated his historic victory. After the election of Obama, the rest of the world, like Americans wants the future to be a lot different from the last eight years.