The World is Talking about What Young People and Obama Have Achieved in this Election

PARIS, 01:00 a.m., "Nouvelle Amerique"
They are not quite dancing on the Champs Elysee, but the French have enthusiastically embraced Obama’s campaign, and the newspapers this morning show how clearly his election is seen as historic, and as a true break with the past, especially with the policies and tensions of the Bush Administration. Some big headlines: "Nouvelle Amerique’ (New America); "Victoire Historique" (Historic Victory); "Changement est La!" (Change is Here!).

ISLAMABAD, 12:54 a.m., Congratulations. We Have A Problem.
Pakistan’s civilian President, Asif Ali Zardari has sent his best wishes to Barack Obama, adding that he looked forward to working with him. The Pakistanis, repeatedly called America's best ally in the war on terror by the Bush administration, have been angered by U.S. missile strikes in the Afghan-Pakistan border area, and the threat of new ground incursions. Yesterday, Pakistan's Prime Minister had a rather more pointed message, delivered to Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command: "If he doesn’t respect the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan, and if he doesn’t change his policies towards Pakistan, anti-America and anti-West sentiments will be there."

SINGAPORE, 12:48 a.m., It's The Economy
AP is reporting that oil prices slid below $69 a barrel Wednesday in Asia, sliding back after an election day rally. Prices are falling because the expectation is that a slowing global economy will cut demand for crude. The immediate global credit crisis may have passed, but recession and even fears of depression continue. President Bush will hold a summit next week to try to find international consensus on how to regulate global markets and avoid a rerun of the economic crisis of the past six weeks. Will President-Elect Obama attend? What role should he play? Can a Bush-brokered summit find any solutions, or has the power passed on so comprehensively that he is the lamest of lame ducks, unable to do any of the arm-twisting that may be required?

GAZA, 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, Fresh Reminder Of An Old Problem
Israel’s military is reporting that Palestinian militants have fired a barrage of rockets (as many as 35 according to Army radio) from Gaza towards Israel, the first major attack since a ceasefire went into effect in June. There's no early word on casualties. The attack came hours after the Israeli army killed six alleged Hamas militants. After the inaction of the Bush years, Palestinians and other Arabs hope that an Obama Presidency will bring new urgency to achieving peace with Israel. Some Israelis however, worry that Obama will not be as supportive, or tolerant of Israel (especially the continuing settlement construction in the West Bank).

KISUMU, Kenya, 11:20 p.m., "We Are Going To The White House
People are on the streets, dancing, singing, pouring out of the Senator Obama Public School where they have been watching election results. Barack Obama’s family, his father's relatives, stayed glue to their televisions a few miles up the road in Kogelo, coming out to cheer as Senator McCain conceded. "We will see Obama in the White House," they sang, "we are going to the White House." Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki declared Thursday a public holiday so that Kenyans can celebrate "the historic achievement by Senator Obama and our country."

LONDON, 11:00 p.m., More Media Watching
Sky News correspondent Michelle Clifford, at the election party in downtown Chicago (Click here to see Sky's coverage: "It really does feel like the whole of Chicago is cheering... You really do feel like you're taking part in history." Now that the result is clear, waiting for McCain and Obama, British television is focusing on Jesse Jackson standing in the crowd, tears running down his face. And the normally unflappable BBC has a radio correspondent in Chicago talking about a "hurricane of emotions" from the crowd waiting for Obama.

LONDON, 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, The World Is Watching… Literally
It’s midnight, and in my normally quiet London neighborhood, lights are on and the blue glow of television sets flickers from house after house. To say interest is intense is an understatement. In London and in Paris, around the globe, many feel they have a personal stake in the outcome, and no American election has ever been scrutinized so closely by so many foreign journalists and news organizations. The BBC has sent more than one hundred staff members to cover the final stretch. British newspapers published pull-out-and-save guides to watching the results and understanding the outcome, (Electoral College 101) complete with menu suggestions (The Independent: Barbecue Chicken and Pecan Pie; the quintessential British take on American comfort food). In the U.K., two networks are offering competing wall-to-wall coverage, correspondents in place from Arizona to Chicago, from Miami to New York.