(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
[new course] On Wednesday night, it became clear that Illionois Senator Barack Obaam (46), after half a year's intense election campaign, has won a majority of Democratic delegates. This is how he becomes the first African-American presidential candidate in US history. On polls, he is also beating Republican candidate John McCain 4. November. The chances increase if New York Senator Hillary Clinton becomes his vice presidential candidate and thus forms a "dream team."
- Obama has great chances to win. This ignites a hope in American society for change – that we will move away from the "supermachosystem" that US policy has represented. Obama shows a willingness to find more humane methods and solutions.
This is stated by the renowned American psychologist Na´im Akbar, who was in Norway last week, to Ny Tid.
In the rest of the world, where coverage has been record-high, Obama's hopes for an opportunity are even greater than in the United States. A poll from YouGov shows that 67 percent of Germans prefer Obama over McCain. In the UK, 49 percent back Obama against 14 percent McCain. Only in Russia is McCain close to the popularity of the black senator.
So what is the reason that Obama is taking over virtually the whole world? In this week's New Time, we print Al-Jazeera's analysis of the US election campaign, and our correspondents and columnists in Sudan, Egypt, Afghanistan, India, and Russia summarize the expectations on Obama's shoulders. Here is a nuanced picture: In both Russia and Sudan, the poorest see Obama as "their candidate". But just as much, it is Obama's promises of a "dialogical foreign policy" that catch on:
The Illinois senator has been fighting a war in Iraq since 2002. He has previously called for the forces to be withdrawn by the end of 2006, and he has voted against George W. Bush's increase in strength. In addition, he has argued for a diplomatic solution against land even in the so-called "axis of evil". He will meet the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea in his first year as president, albeit without ruling out a military solution. In addition, he will contact Mexico and Canada to stop or amend the NAFTA free trade agreement.
The question is how big changes the world will see if Obama occupies the White House: He voted for the 1100-kilometer border fence against Mexico, even though he supported the acceptance of illegal immigrants. In addition, he has recently emphasized his strong support for Israel, which does not seem a violation of Bush policy.
– I'm worried that people will be too impatient. A change does not come overnight. Obama does not have magical abilities. He needs time. He takes over a political system that is out of control, and it takes time to build a new one, says psychologist Akbar.
Read more in the paper edition
