U.S. National Election

As the U.S. national election drama finally ends, it's worth asking how this may impact the international image of the United States. Global coverage of the U.S. election has ranged from serious commentary to more lighthearted suggestions that election monitors from Haiti, Yugoslavia and Mexico be sent to support American democracy. While such suggestions may be comical, they point out the emerging disparity between the image of the United States as an exemplar of democracy and the reality of local elections centered on butterfly ballots and pregnant chads. Democracy may be, as Churchill noted, the worst from of government except for all the others, but really, is this any way to run a democracy?

As the transition begins, questions will arise as to how the new Bush team of retired Gen. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice will change the conduct of American foreign policy. While coverage of the election has been focused almost exclusively on domestic issues, Bush will face several foreign policy challenges, if not outright crises. Middle East peace tops the agenda, with nuclear proliferation issues following closely behind. The collapse of the Iraqi sanctions regime, continued tensions between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, as well as tensions between China and Taiwan round out the notable hot spots. Add to that the maintenance of routine yet important global housekeeping chores (trade talks, environmental summits, NATO/European security reform, UN reform) and it may well be that the world has just as much reason to be caught up in the American election drama as American voters.

I have assembled a list of links that will help give you a sense of how the American election has been portrayed in world media, as well as links to documents and organizations that will contribute to your understanding of this issue. As ever, please feel free to join a discussion on the message boards or on the e-mail list.

DOCUMENTS

• Election

  2000: Bush, Gore, and the World: The Washington Post's side by side

  comparison of each candidates stand on major foreign policy issues.

• CNN Law Library: Compilation

  of  primary pleadings and court rulings in PDF format. How have Bush

  and Gore presented their cases to the courts? Find the answer here.

• The U.S.

  Constitution: A clickable review of articles, amendments, and

  commentary on the Constitution of the United States. What exactly does the

  U.S. Constitution say about how a president is elected? Find the answer

  here.

• Statements

  from the Bush and Gore Campaigns: New York Times text archive of public

  statements by the respective campaigns.

• Text of

  Florida Statute: New York Times excerpt from Section 102.168 of Florida

  statutes which governs the contesting of elections.

ORGANIZATIONS

• Freedom House: An non-partisan

  voice for democracy, Freedom House is famous for estimating and ranking the

  democratic status of states. What does it take to be considered a democracy?

  Which state is the most democratic? Freedom House has the answer.

NEWS LINKS

• AP: U.S.

  Foreign Policy May Change

• Financial Times: The

  New World View From The White House

• BBC: The

  World Welcomes Bush

• The Korea Herald: What

  Bush's Victory Means

• AP: World

  Congratulates Bush

• Bangladesh Post: U.S.

  Democracy In The Eyes of Others

• Reuters: EU

  Congratulates Bush, Sees Cooler Stance on Europe

• Reuters: Bush

  To Welcome Clinton Push For Mideast Peace

• Reuters: Clinton

  Sees Globalization As Key Issue

• New York Times: Yes,

  Democracy Is Imperfect, Even In Places That Have Never Heard of Chads

• AP: U.S.

  Envoy To France Talks On U.S. Vote

• Reuters: Analysis:

  Troubled World Awaits Untried President

• Moscow Times: Russia

  Can Learn From U.S. Vote

• CNN: European

  Press Lambasts U.S. Poll Confusion

• The Korea Herald: America

  Shows It Is All Too Human

• Moscow Times: Babushkas

  Save Civilization

• AP: World

  Tunes In To American Election

INTERACT

• Discussion

  Forum: US Role In The World: Join us on the FPA Message Board and share

  your thoughts on the US role in the world.

• E-Mail Discussion List:

  Join this e-mail discussion list hosted by eGroups and discuss the issues

  with others interested in this topic.

• Feedback: Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Your US Role webguide

  can be reached via e-mail at joeld@u.arizona.edu.