As the U.S. presidential election enters the final hours we here at U.S. Role are taking a look at how the election is playing in the world. First, this nod from Voice of America to our own national estimation of how the world is paying attention to us as a role model for democracy:
U.S. President George Bush is encouraging all Americans to vote in national elections Tuesday and prove to the world that self-government can endure. During his weekly radio address Saturday, Mr. Bush said U.S. elections serve as a model, especially to young democracies such at Georgia, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iraq.
And second, I call your attention to this AP report that notes world reaction and varied expectations about the U.S. election, focusing on opinion in Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Vietnam and Pakistan. We Americans tend to be rather self-absorbed about the election, but it's worth noting that whoever wins tomorrow, the world will be watching.
