Joy To The World

What a week! Garrulous though I usually am, I am feeling a bit tongue tied. So, rather than blather aimlessly, I will link to an AP article which reports reactions to past week's US mid-term elections from around the world. Not just Americans are feeling liberated by Bush's thumpin' at the ballot box. Much of the rest of the world too is breathing a sigh of relief. While there is widespread jubilation, some anxiety remains about the unsettled situation in Iraq and how the Democrats will handle it. Countries like China, who are singlemindedly focused on the bottom line, are anxious about trade because Democrats are looked upon as protectionists and sticklers for labor and human rights.

"The end of a six-year nightmare for the world."

The seismic shift that midterm elections brought to Washington's political landscape was welcomed by many Wednesday in a world sharply opposed to the war in Iraq and outraged over the harsh methods the Bush administration has employed in fighting terrorism.

   From Paris to Pakistan, politicians, analysts and ordinary citizens said they hoped the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives would force President Bush to adopt a more conciliatory approach to global crises, and teach a president many see as a "cowboy" a lesson in humility.

    But some also expressed fears that a split in power and a lame-duck president might stall global trade talks and weaken much-needed American influence. On Iraq, some feared that Democrats will force a too-rapid retreat, leaving that country and the region in chaos.

    Regardless of the effect on world events, global giddiness that Bush was finally handed a political black-eye was almost palpable.

    In an extraordinary joint statement, more than 200 Socialist members of the European Parliament hailed the American election results as "the beginning of the end of a six-year nightmare for the world" and gloated that they left the Bush administration "seriously weakened."

    In London's Guardian newspaper, commentator Martin Kettle wrote: "The cheering can be heard not just in America itself but around the planet."

    In Paris, expatriates and French citizens alike packed the city's main American haunts to watch results, with some standing to cheer or boo as vote tabulations came in. One Frenchman, teacher Jean-Pierre Charpemtrat, 53, said it was about time U.S. voters figured out what much of the rest of the world already knew. "Americans are realizing that you can't found the politics of a country on patriotic passion and reflexes," he said. "You can't fool everybody all the time - and I think that's what Bush and his administration are learning today."

    In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez said the Democrats won the election thanks to a "reprisal vote."

    People across the Mideast also reacted swiftly, saying it appeared the U.S. president had paid the price for what many view as failed policy in Iraq. Even some Iraqis voiced hope for change. "We hope American foreign policy will change and that living conditions in Iraq will improve," said 48-year-old engineer Suheil Jabar, a Shiite Muslim in Baghdad.

    In Copenhagen, Denmark, 35-year-old Jens Langfeldt said he did not know much about the midterm elections but was opposed to Bush's values. He referred to the president as "that cowboy."

    In Sri Lanka, some said they hoped the rebuke would force Bush to abandon a unilateral approach to global issues. The Democratic win means "there will be more control and restraint" over U.S. foreign policy. said Jehan Perera, a political analyst.

    Passions were even higher in Pakistan, where Bush is deeply unpopular despite billions in aid and support for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. One opposition lawmaker, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, said he welcomed the election result but hoped for more. Bush "deserves to be removed, put on trial and given a Saddam-like death sentence," he said.

    But while the result clearly produced more jubilation than jitters, there were deep concerns.

    Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told broadcaster TV2 he hoped that the president and the new Congress would find "common ground on questions about Iraq and Afghanistan." "The world needs a vigorous U.S.A.," Fogh Rasmussen said.

     Some also worried that Democrats, who have a reputation for being more protective of U.S. jobs going overseas, will make it harder to achieve a global free trade accord.

    In China, some feared the resurgence of the Democrats would increase tension over human rights and trade and labor issues. China's surging economy has a massive trade surplus with the United States.  "The Democratic Party ... will protect the interests of small and medium American enterprises and labor and that could produce an impact on China-U.S. trade relations," Zhang Guoqing of the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a report on Sina.com, a popular Chinese Internet portal.

Comments

[Archana]

That's really interesting! Here in Guatemala, the paper reported directly from the AP wire and there didn't seem to be much talk about it among my friends... except to join my excitement since they know I'm a Democrat...

[Sanjay]

From my perspective, this is just a victory of one narrative over another, the situation on the ground remaining virtually unchanged. It offers little more than therapeutic value, hence the euphoria. The real test will not be pulling the troops out but restoring & propping up Sunni power in Iraq.

To me, this underlines a major flaw in the system with just two political parties attempting to represent the hopes, wishes and realities of 300 million citizens.

[Ruchira Paul]

Archana:
The AP report here probably put together the most provocative opinions. But international interest in the elections was quite high given the failure and unsettling nature of Bush's foreign policy. My sister called me three times between Tuesday and Wednesday nights to get the latest split in the House and Senate.

Sanjay:
I agree with you. Hence the lack of my own euphoria. I hope to gather my thoughts and put together a detailed post as to why I am not dancing in the streets. A multi-party system may have the answer as also a system of voting candidates 1,2 & 3 in the order of preference. But when I look at India and Israel, a multi-party political system might mean endless horse-trading instead of governing.

[Sanjay]

Ruchira,

I think there is an age old problem with any organization - large or small - that power, privilege & benefits are sticky at the top (the creamy layer phenomenon). It doesn't matter which nation/ society or how idealistic your party platform, this is an essential characteristic of all organisations.

Second is the problem of representation. With any party, the top, middle to lower layers of leaders and managers are effectively chosen so as to pose the least threat, or deemed most acceptable, to the prevailing power/ privilege paradigm. The characteristics of those nominated/ chosen for seats will not be determined by how closely and faithfully they represent their respective constituencies in a particular voting district but by how well one maintains "party discipline", do not threaten the prevailing power structure etc.

If you have just one single party, the Democrats, attempting to represent a majority of african americans in the America, then it is inevitable that black candidates will be chosen on the basis of "least threat" rather than on the basis of closest reflection of the community's needs and aspirations. In such a system, the horse trading & bargaining will take place within the confines of the party, much of it in backrooms and out of public view.

By contrast in India, a lot of the wrangling happens across party lines which is typically not conducive to quiet little backroom deals, particularly in the paparazzi era. It looks messy and ugly because it is out in the open but this is way it should be - each party should be negotiating hard to win the best possible deal for its constituency. After this pre-election horse trading is over, the final cabinet & other ministers are out of party politics mode and focused on governing the country.

The current age of globalisation has also created a "free market" of democracies in which different democratic systems will be in implicit competition with each other. Systems that allow people from every segment of society to rise up and excel in virtually every field will be a powerful attraction for the best and brightest.