Show of hands if you knew that Canada held an election two weeks ago. I’ll admit I didn’t. I only found out after the polls had closed and the winner was an-nounced. Even then, the story barely made a dent in the media, because everyone else in the world had their eyes on the U.S. general election.
Why are so many foreigners interested in an election in which they aren’t even eligible to take part? How could it possibly affect them?
The truth is, whoever is sworn in on Inauguration Day won’t simply be the U.S. president, but essentially the world’s president.
Struggling economy aside, the United States still remains a world superpower, and the policies of the president have a butterfly effect that send ripples into international relations for years to come. Some developing countries look to the U.S. model of governance and mirror its policies, while other nations like Venezuela actively seek to be the United States’ antithesis.
A dislike of American cultural imperialism isn’t exactly new, but if the tremendous outpouring of support that came after 9-11 showed anything, it was that most countries could put aside cultural differences long enough to condemn heinous acts of violence.
Yet, in the past six years, the United States’ global approval rating has slid to new lows. This could be attributed to President George Bush’s “with us or against us” rhetoric that has rubbed both allies (see “Freedom Fries”) and enemies (see “Axis of Evil”) the wrong way.
With the United States involved in two wars. the next president should not consider diplomacy as a sign of weakness or a lack of patriotism, but as a necessity.
You catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.
When political campaigners talk about foreign policy, the question that gets asked the most is: Who’s our biggest threat, and who protects us from that threat? That’s the type of rhetoric that won Bush the 2004 election.
But, hopefully, Americans have come to realize that they have a lot more friends in the world than enemies.
While the world does understand and sympathize with country first, I’m not so sure they’ll be so quick to accept another four years of country, only.
Mexicans will undoubtedly be looking at the next president’s plan to control the issues plaguing the border. Georgia, recently attacked by a re-developed Russia, wants to join NATO. The next president will have a say in how strongly NATO supports Georgia’s bid for membership.
The Bush administration worked with 15 African nations to distribute mosquito nets to help fight the spread of Malaria. Will the next president give them the same attention?
There’s also global warming, which affects everyone. What are the candidates doing to help the environment? Which president will come to the aide of countries struck by natural disaster?
A recent CNN poll revealed that, on a global scale, one of the candidates is preferred by a margin of 4-to-1. If this was a global election, the race would’ve been over ages ago.
But it’s not, and ultimately it is the American people who decide.
So, when you go to the polls on Nov. 4, the world understands that you may be thinking about Wall Street vs. Main Street, but don’t forget about every rue, calle and strasse that will be touched by your next president.
Kejan Haynes is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
