Today I had the chance to watch history unfold in Washington, DC as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Washington was jam-packed with people from all over. President Obama's speech inspired the crowd in Washington and will lead to a worldwide outpouring of support. For foreign policy, this will lead to a new era of responsibility based on multilateralism and a global, rather than unilateral, approach to problems.
El Universal Mexico reports that 74% of Mexicans are in favor of Barack Obama. In the US, 83% of Mexican-Americans voted for Obama. Significantly, this reveals hopes of a regenerated bilateral relationship between the two countries. When polled, the Mexican public prioritized the following issues to work together with the United States:
- 76% – Global Financial Crisis
- 61% – Bettering relations between Mexico and the US
- 51% – Mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict
- 44% – Climate change
- 36% – Supporting the Afghan government against the Taliban.
(my view on the ground!)