U.S. Politics Felt Throughout the World

By: Stephanie Savage
Posted In: Opinion

In the heat of the recent United States presidential elections, most Americans found themselves holding their breath in anticipation as they waited to discover who would be next in line to serve our country. Obama or McCain? I’ve been asked this question repeatedly throughout the past two months and more specifically in the days leading up to the election. Only catch is, I haven’t stepped foot in the United States since the first week of September. And I’m hardly talking about speaking to fellow Americans either.

On Nov. 4, as Americans all over cast their vote for the country’s next leading man, I could be found in Athens, Greece where I enjoyed my week-long break from my semester abroad in Italy. Given the time difference, I assumed I would have to wait until the following morning to check online for any news of the election. To my surprise, the reality of the situation actually turned out to be especially interesting.

While shopping around the city, I seldom walked into a single store where the salesclerk wasn’t cooped up behind the register, listening to the most updated news from the polls. This, of course, is how I learned that Obama was leading the way at the time.

Furthermore, anyone who noticed that my friends and I were American immediately wanted to discuss the election with us. They wanted to know who we had voted for and why. They also wanted to tell us all about why they all hoped Obama would win. When my friends and I challenged them to a disagreement, they automatically assumed we hadn’t voted for Obama because of the color of his skin. In awe of the results, it’s actually quite inspiring that America has progressed to a point that it now has its first black president. The vote proves an incredible milestone given America’s past history of slavery and the continuing racial issues that still exist today.

Internationally, there undoubtedly seems to be that same consensus. Throughout Italy and Greece, I have seen the face of Barak Obama plastered on store fronts and city walls, accompanied by the words “yes we can!” In the hours leading up to the election, the people in Greece seemed energetic and hopeful that Obama would win the electoral vote. Similar to a growing number of Americans, many Europeans also mocked the United States policies under the Bush administration. They are hopeful that under Obama, they will see the change that his campaign has so earnestly promoted.

It has been amazing to experience first-hand the effect that American politics has on the rest of the world. It is also unbelievable all that I have seen and learned, especially since I myself have very little knowledge of political powers throughout Europe and yet the people here are so involved with American politics. Being able to experience politics the way I have has been very informative, allowing me to witness the election from an alternate perspective. Furthermore, this just goes to show America’s role as a strong world power.