Read our Blogwatch post on foreign coverage: International journalists swarm U.S. for election.

Susan Caskie, international editor of The Week, speaks with Martin Savidge about lukewarm or negative coverage of Barack Obama’s victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, how foreign newspapers are characterizing George W. Bush and quirky global headlines about the election.

The Russian news Web site AmericaRU covers John McCain’s race to the White House.

The world is watching as the U.S. elects a new president.

As Americans head to the polls, a large number foreign journalists are coming to the country, citing unprecedented interest around the world. But in some cases, foreign coverage of the election differs from what Americans may see on U.S. networks.

Read analysis from a Worldfocus contributing blogger about Russian coverage of the election, which he says is more in-depth and balanced in treatment of third-party candidates.

From Moscow, an American journalist at the “Thoughts on the Road” blog writes that he has noticed a pro-Obama bias in coverage.

British news portal “Times Online” broke the story about one of Barack Obama’s aunts living illegally in the U.S.

British blogger “James O’Fee” tries to explain why the election receives an inordinate amount of attention overseas, describing shared culture and influence. British news correspondent Andy Bell describes his experience covering the election in the “Broadcast” blog.

Blogger and traveler “Paul” talks about election coverage around the world, from Europe to the Middle East, saying that even local papers provide extensive coverage about the U.S. candidates.

From Germany, the “Mediencritik” blog predicts how the German media will react to an Obama victory.

The Japanese television station “Asahi” is providing round-the-clock coverage on election night.

American blogger “Sarah” writes from Japan that election fervor has peaked in the town of Obama, posting pictures of the fliers, statues and t-shirts that line the streets.

Television channel France 24 is also providing election coverage in three languages to 120 countries.

“Arab News,” an English-language daily news site in the Middle East, sent a reporter to the U.S. who is now documenting the election from Minneapolis, Minn. in diary entries.

Chilean blogger “Arttemisa” writes that there is little coverage of the election in Chile, but those with an interest are heading online.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user comicbase under a Creative Commons license.

A protester in Sacramento, Calif., holds a sign criticizing dependence on Saudi oil.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top exporter of oil, and the country has thus figured into U.S. energy policy, foreign policy and security considerations. Now, as the U.S. prepares to usher in a new administration, both presidential candidates are trumpeting plans to decrease dependence on foreign oil.

Contributing blogger Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, examines how Saudis perceive the American election.

See Haykel’s previous interview with Worldfocus about a U.S. raid in Syria, and watch Gideon Rose of Foreign Affairs Magazine speak about global fascination with the U.S. election.

Saudi angle on U.S. elections

The Saudis have been remarkably tight-lipped about the U.S. presidential election and about whom they favor among the candidates. Their reticence can be explained, in part, by their bewilderment at the choice.

They don’t know what to think of the real possibility that a young and charismatic black candidate might win. Senator Obama represents the joker in the deck, although they also have a sense that in terms of the pillars of U.S. policy in the Middle East (i.e., oil security and Israel’s security) little will change regardless of the election’s outcome. In other words, they feel the regime’s survival is assured because of the importance of oil.

Historically, the Saudis have favored Republicans for the following reasons: 1) a shared social and economic conservatism and a visceral anti-Communism; 2) the closer ties that Republicans are thought to have to the oil companies and the weapons industry, which represent the two domestic constituencies of, and therefore lobbyists for, the Saudi government in the U.S. political system; and 3) a highly personal (anti-institutional) form of political engagement in foreign affairs, especially in the Middle East. The Saudis like the current President Bush on a personal level, and he appears to relish the all-male gatherings in Saudi Arabia, as can be seen during his last trip to Riyadh in January.

The royal family’s objection to G.W. Bush’s policies have to do with what they perceive to be his impulsive and rash behavior as well as his high-stakes style in foreign policy. On the whole, the Saudis were not in favor of the invasion of Iraq because they were worried of the instability that this would create in the region. The Saudis are, if anything, conservative and don’t like to gamble their survival on military campaigns unless these are absolutely necessary, as in the 1991 Gulf war against the Iraqi invader of Kuwait. Instead, they prefer other means, which include financial inducements and fighting through proxies (e.g., Lebanon today).

Based on all the above, I would guess that the Saudis would prefer if McCain were to win. Furthermore, there are indications that they have a strong dislike to Senator Biden, primarily because of his public criticism of the Saudi royal family, its religious policies, and the very form of rule it represents. The Saudis have been relatively discreet about this animus towards Biden, and when it has surfaced, as in an editorial article by Jamal Khashogi in Al-Watan newspaper earlier this year, it has criticized Biden for his plan to divide Iraq into three parts. I believe the Saudis feel that they can proceed with business-as-usual with McCain but not with Biden, who is, paradoxically perhaps, more ideological when it comes to reforming Saudi Arabia’s regime.

To read more, visit the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user madrigals under a Creative Commons license.

Gideon Rose, the managing editor of Foreign Affairs Magazine, calls it the most watched election around the world. Most of the world favors Barack Obama, but Rose discusses which countries might not and why.

Whoever wins, the next administration will face challenges with the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Damien Hirst’s “The Virigin Mother” statue was installed at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2006.

The British government has made sex education mandatory for all schools in England in an effort to curb its high teen pregnancy rate. About 39,000 girls under 18 became pregnant in 2006 — the highest rate in western Europe.

Children as young as five will receive lessons on topics such as body parts and reproduction, and subjects will become more sophisticated as children grow older. The mandate has sparked anger, and some have condemned the new curriculum.

The “Catholic Commentary” blog from England outlines questions and concerns about the program, including its implementation into religious schools and its inclusion of marriage as a matter for discussion.

The “Hello Blog,” based in Wales, touts the new curriculum and its potential for reducing teen pregnancy.

Blogger “Solomon Hezekiah” argues that sex education is fighting fire with fire.

An editorial at The Times Online calls the law harmful, pointing out that children mature at different ages and teachers vary in their teaching style and moral attitudes.

“Stuart Wood” expresses anger that there was no public debate or consultation before the government’s decision.

The “WhyNotSmile” blog finds the controversy excessive and asks, “Is there anything more likely to put teenagers off sex than putting them in a classroom and talking about it?”

In the U.S., mandatory sex education has become an issue in the presidential race.

“Learning about sex before learning to read?,” asks one advertisement from John McCain that references Barack Obama’s vote for a 2003 bill that would have expanded age-appropriate sex education in Illinois classrooms had it passed.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users Suzanna and browbrick under a Creative Commons license.

Senator Barack Obama speaks to a crowd at The Cuban Club in Tampa, Fla.

Cuban-Americans make up a third of the vote in southern Florida’s crucial districts, where U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain continue to battle for votes.

The campaigns are now discussing socialism, a topic which may recall Fidel Castro’s Cuba for some.

Circles Robinson is a blogger living in Havana. He writes about the Cuban angle of the impending U.S. presidential election in his blog.

Cuba issue weighs on U.S. elections

I’m living in Cuba, not the United States, but even so I’m tired of the U.S. presidential campaign. It’s been going longer than the last three TV soap operas combined!

There has been extensive coverage here, with entire round table programs dedicated to the subject and almost daily reports and opinion pieces in the newspapers.

Most Cubans made up their minds on who they favor shortly after the Democratic Party primary ended. Not that people are enamored with either of the two major parties, but they at least see a ray of hope for improved relations under Obama. This means a lot for many families divided by the Florida Straits and politics.

In a recent informal NBC News survey held in downtown Havana 63 percent stated that they preferred Obama; 2 percent said they liked McCain, 13 percent had no preference and 22 percent declined to answer.

While Cuba policy is not one of the top concerns of most voters across the US it is a major issue in Florida. The two candidates have made a proportionately large number of campaign visits to that swing state “won” by George W. Bush in 2000 and then again in 2004.

Headlines on October 17 included the following: Obama Bets Big on Florida Turnout (L.A. Times), McCain Comes to Miami to Shore Up his Base (Miami Herald). Election Battle Shifts to Florida (BBC).

Numerous polls show that the large Cuban-American population there, formerly a united Republican bastion, is now strongly divided. “Cuba bashing” simply doesn’t attract the younger generations the way it did the exiles that came to Florida around the time of the 1959 revolution.

Younger Cuban-Americans, like the majority of US citizens, are more concerned about the economy, the war in Iraq and other domestic issues, and less obsessed with maintaining a “tough” policy towards Cuba.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user juliusbulius under a Creative Commons license.

VIDEO: Peter Finn of The Washington Post was at Guantanamo in the past month and speaks about developments at the prison.

VIDEO: Aziz Huq, director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Project at New York University, speaks about the legal and political implications of keeping Guantánamo open.

The Bush administration announced that it will not close the prison at Guantánamo Bay and has not examined proposals for transferring the detainees elsewhere. On Tuesday, officials dropped war crime charges against five detainees.

Blogger Spencer Ackerman calls the continuation of the prison “ludicrous” and argues it is illegal in the wake of Boumediene v. Bush, a ruling which limited the ability to keep the prison off of American soil.

H. Candace Gorman, a blogger and lawyer who represents two Guantánamo detainees pro bono, rejects the argument that detainees should be sent to other countries rather than the U.S. because their long captivity has made them hostile towards America.

The American Security Project’s “Flash Point” blog criticizes the lack of exploration into alternative plans.

Both U.S. presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have called for the closure of Guantánamo in the past. The next administration will face legal and logistical challenges in relocating the 250 prisoners.

Human Rights First provides a blueprint on “How to Close Guantánamo” [PDF] for the next administration.

Colonel Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantánamo, writes at Georgetown University’s “Security Law” blog about the failures of the prison and outlines a course for Obama or McCain to prosecute war crimes.

An American blogger at “Malbatron” writes that the issue of Guantánamo is the key factor in shaping his decision in the upcoming election.

For more on U.S. prisons abroad, watch Torturing Democracy, airing on PBS stations across the nation.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Beast under a Creative Commons license.

Below, international bloggers voice their opinions about the debate and the candidates.

Explore Worldfocus partner LinkTV’s “Dear American Voter” project, which encourages citizens from around the world to submit videos about the U.S. elections.

Included are video testimonials from Ghana, Syria, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Jordan.

Read our previous post on global reactions to the second U.S. presidential debate.

Some comments from international bloggers about the U.S. elections:

“Politically Incorrect” blog, Kenya

Watching [the debate], I began nightdreaming about the possibilities it held for African countries . [...] What if we started seeing elections as a platform for allowing citizens to decide on what they wanted, rather than using it as an opportunity to bribe, cheat, humiliate, fight, be abusive, or whatever else African leaders are always up to during such times? It is still a dream in Africa that we will achieve the state that [the U.S.] takes for granted, where election campaigns are organized and the battles do not have to involve or bruise the public, where citizens still have a large amount of power, and where presidents (potential) are taken to task about their manifestos.

“Mexico Monitor” blog, Mexico

Undocumented immigration remains a political hot potato in the campaign for the U.S. presidency. Neither McCain nor Obama mentioned the issue during their third and final presidential debate. But on more than 20 occasions they did talk about “Joe Plumber,” a name for the generic working man now suffering the consequences of the global financial crisis. During a Facebook chat, a friend told me that she thinks the candidates were really talking about “Jose el Plomero, un migrante indocumentado” — José Plumber, an undocumented Mexican migrant worker who lives in the shadows of the broken U.S. immigration system and is waiting to see if the next U.S. president will be bold enough to propose meaningful immigration reform legislation.

“Cas Cas the Explorer” blog, France

Being an American in Paris is an uphill battle—I even speak French pretty well. From the moment I touched down at Charles de Gaulle, politics have remained the focal point of almost every discussion. With three suitcases in tow, my cab driver asked the address of my destination, and after hearing my accent, asked of my origin. After stating, “Etat-Unis”, a glimmer appeared in his eye in the rearview mirror. No questions on “what brings you to Paris” or “How long are you going to be here”. His words were simple, “Obama où McCain?” This scene has been played repeatedly with most interactions between the French and I. Once they know you are American, the only issue of concern becomes the election and the reasoning behind your choice. [...] With each upcoming question I am bound to face regarding “Obama où McCain,” I’ll smile and answer, praying that this one conversation might have a domino effect—however slight it may be—so that America can regain the prestige and respect abroad she once had.

“Two Chicks Nest” blog, Canada

I’m calling myself out. I’ve lived in Canada for a year and I don’t understand Canadian politics. I follow U.S. politics like it’s my (part time) job, but I barely even notice what’s going on in the country that I am living in. Tsk tsk. Canadians are very interested in U.S. politics. The Canadian news broadcasts the vice presidential debates, for god’s sake! How is it that we have 24-hour news cycles in the U.S., but we barely ever mention anything beyond the U.S. border? Americans, have you heard anything about the Canadian national election that took place yesterday?

“Boquete Panama Guide” blog, Panama

I realize that Latin American politics seem remote from the current problems in the U.S. but they are not. There are huge numbers of Latin American voters in the U.S. These immigrants [...] have families in Latin America families incuding the Cubans in Miami that know what will happen if Chavez is successful emulating Castro’s Cuba. [...] People in all the world are [a]ffected by the U.S. election. I did a totally unscientific poll conducted with people in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru and Columbia. The people I spoke with are watching with great interest and 100% of those I chatted with would, if they could, vote for Barack Obama and hope for change, so would I.

AUDIO: Freelance journalist Wafaa Jamil speaks from Ramallah, West Bank about the lack of Palestinian interest in the U.S. elections. Peter Ford of The Christian Science Monitor speaks from Beijing about the China’s similar lack of interest and the absence of China as an issue in the U.S. elections.

Argentinians watch the Oct. 2 debate between vice presidential contenders Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in Buenos Aires.

At the second U.S. presidential debate on Oct. 7, candidates John McCain and Barack Obama discussed a range of foreign policy issues including their thoughts on Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and Iran. Bloggers around the world watched and responded.

From Canada, the “Mapleleafweb” blog argues that the focus on the economy in this debate will spill over into the upcoming Canadian election on Oct. 14.

From Latin America, the “VivirLatino” blog writes that Obama won’t acknowledge immigration in the debates despite doing so frequently in Spanish-language ads.

From Iraq, the “Iraq Pundit” blog points to changes in Obama’s position in Iraq based on his discussion of moral obligation during the debate.

“Sean’s Russia Blog” assesses the candidates’ discussion of Russia, calling it “Cold War rhetoric without the Cold War.”

From Palestine, the “Body on the Line” blog writes that the debate ignored Palestine.

And blogger “Jonolan” writes about which candidate would be better for Pakistan, concluding that McCain’s plan for a cooperative effort with the Pakistani government would help the country mitigate violence.

Since the world has a stake in the outcome of the U.S. election, The Economist has created a global electoral college that allows people from all over the world to vote for one of the two main candidates. Currently, Barack Obama has received the majority of the over 25,000 votes that have been cast.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user blmurch under a Creative Commons license.

The parliamentary building in Kigali, Rwanda.

Women make up 48 percent of Rwanda’s parliament — a result of both an electoral quota (of 30 percent female) and of the death of many men in the country’s 1994 genocide.

The women’s leadership has been praised, although some think their appointment is for “the wrong reasons.”

Legislative elections in Rwanda commenced yesterday, with incumbent President Paul Kagame running nearly unopposed and expected to win. This is only the second election since the genocide, which killed an estimated 800,000 Rwandans.

“African Studies Blog” links to an article claiming that though women are participating more and more in politics, they are not able to influence policymaking.

Watch a female member of the Rwandan parliament talk about her experience.

Stephen F. DeAngelis outlines the contributions of women to the Rwandan economy and traces a short history of gender roles in the country. The Washington Post published a video about Rwandan women and the economy.

The United States ranks 68th among countries for the number of women elected to national political office. Cindy McCain, wife of the Republican presidential nominee John McCain, recently wrote an editorial in the Wall Street Journal praising Rwanda’s women.

For more on the role of women in Rwandan and world politics, tune in to “Women, Power and Politics” on September 19 on NOW.

Photo courtesy of Flickr users youngrobv and John & Mel Kots under a Creative Commons license.