"This is an important victory for all of us. Mostly, of course for America, but also for everyone else in the world who's tired of a U.S. in the likeness of George Bush," says a gleeful 25-year-old named Clémence, returning to her Parisian apartment after a night watching the results with friends. "Tell your readers France says 'Thank you, America, for giving the world Barack Obama!'"
That sentiment is reverberating around the world, but there are dissenters. A majority of Israelis would have felt more comfortable with a Republican President. Bush gave Israel generous military aid, supported the government during the controversial 2006 Lebanon war, and didn't press too hard for the closure of illegal Jewish settlements inside the Palestinian territories.
The World Sees Obama's Victory As a New Beginning for America
