People throughout the world are celebrating, "The New World", as was the front page headline of The Times Of London. I have friends who are currently traveling in France and another in Burma who emailed stating that the celebrating is everywhere! The headlines in the London Sun newspaper read "One Giant Leap For Mankind".
The impact that this is having across the world will begin to give America the respect it has lost in the Bush years of isolationism and war mongering. There is a Saudi journalist named Samir Saadi who said that Obama's election means "the U.S. has won the war on terror. Given Obama's name, his background, the doubts about his religion, Americans still voted for him, and this proved that America is a democracy," he said. "People here are starting to believe in the U.S. again."(1)
Viktor Erofeyev, a prominent Russian novelist, said he believed the election signaled a new era. He stated, "The choice of an African American president in the United States overturns the whole idea of the stiff and conservative America. This means that America did wake up. This means that America is again open for free and democratic values. America has once again become a good model to emulate. It has again become a great country."(1)
"It is almost impossible to overstate the impact of this vote on the rest of the world," said Joichi Ito, a globe-trotting Internet entrepreneur and blogger who is based in Tokyo. "The United States looked closed, stupid, xenophobic and aggressive under Bush. By electing Obama, it looks open, diversity-embracing, humble and intelligent."(1)
Nelson Mandela, the South Arican civil rights icon who helped bring down his country's apartheid regime, released a letter to Obama which stated, "Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."(1)
Desmond Tutu, another iconic anti-apartheid leader and the retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, said Obama's victory tells "people of color that for them, the sky is the limit. We have a new spring in our walk and our shoulders are straighter."(1)
Through the inclusion of all, everyone benefits. Through isolationism the benefits are left only to the elitist and power mongers. History has shown this time and time again. This election has returned the world their feelings of inclusion into the Democratic Experiment and that we all have equal opportunity. This is a symbol to the world that we as a country have not lost our way. We now have the opportunity to repair and regain our status as the world leader again, with a leader who is admired and respected throughout the world.
We have witnessed the rebirth of a Brave New World!
(1)Washington Post, Nov. 6, 2008
(c)Copyright 2008 Doug Boggs
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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I love this article -so uplifting -puts a smile on my face knowing that the rest of the world was routing for Obama too and that they too are beginning to 'believe' again.
The community has come together and although he has a lot to clean up from the bush badmin, we know that his heart and intellect are in the right place. I trust him, and if anyone can lift us out of the mess he can. But he is not alone. For once I feel as if we in the US are community again. I feel that we have come together strongly. The amount of participation that people have put into this election was astounding. I am proud to be a part of this country and I look forward to continuing to be an active and informed world citizen
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