The World Views of the U.S. Presidential Election: 2008

The 2008 US presidential election was a ‘global event.’ Across the world, countries felt they had a major stake in this election. This study investigates the perception of the candidates, the issues, and the importance of the 2008 election from abroad. It does so by looking at selected countries in detail. What emerges are not only significant differences in perception, but also themes that were common to many countries’ views. In fact, these shared perceptions amount to a ‘world view’ of the US election. The world saw the US election in the context of their own national priorities and as a vote on a different type of US leadership in the world.