A Vote Heard 'Round The World'

Hopes, Dreams and Pessimism
Obama's victory offers a special opportunity for Turkey, says a Turkish editor.
By Selcuk Tepeli
Special Guest Commentary

Turkey is not a country where dreams have much value. A national survey released on Nov. 4—the day of the U.S. election—found that more than 55 percent of Turks expected next year to be worse than this one. (What pessimism!) Certainly, there are many issues here that keep dreams at a distance: the ongoing Kurdish issue, the struggle against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the uncertainty in Iraq, Armenian genocide claims, the current disillusionment with the efforts to join the European Union (EU), domestic political problems and state authoritarianism.

Still, for analysts here—especially those educated in the U.S. or Europe—Barack Obama's election win is seen as a sign that dreams can come true. And while the interest among ordinary Turks about the U.S. election campaign cannot be described as overwhelming, its conclusion is now triggering talk about whether Obama can help to solve some of Turkey's problems. After the disappointment of the Bush years, most people are being cautious. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his first statement on the election, was guardedly optimistic that the incoming administration would be good for world democracy and peace in the Middle East.

Turks, meanwhile, hope that their country's strategic importance could prompt Obama to change his mind about his promise to recognize Armenian claims of Ottoman genocide in 1915. They also hope for his support in the ongoing dispute over Cyprus and for American military and diplomatic support against the PKK.

Obama won the election with the slogan of change. Turkey's people have also changed: the country is a candidate for the EU, it is slowly becoming richer and freer, and Ankara is trying to establish relations with Armenia. If Obama manages to keep his promises of change, Turks—where aversion to the U.S. is high—may start to take more interest in his agenda. If that happens, the Washington example may encourage Turks to be even more open to change. "The democratic culture in the United States should be a role model for Turkey," says a statement released by the Turkish Association of Industrialists and Businessmen today. It's an opportunity not to be missed.

—Selcuk Tepeli is the editor in chief of NEWSWEEK Turkiye, a Turkish-language edition that launched in October 2008. It is published in collaboration with the Ciner Media Group.

Election Shmelection
Never mind the Obama victory. What Argentines were really talking about.
By Alex Milberg
Special Guest Commentary

On U.S. Election Day, Argentina was paralyzed by a worrying issue. People here wondered if the person elected would be able to overcome the crisis, restore the foreign image and regain faith. But, instead of Obama, Argentines were thinking of the legendary Diego Maradona, 48, who took over as coach of the national soccer team, almost at the same time as John Mc Cain voted in Phoenix.  
What's more important: a world recession and the agenda of the new leader of the world's most powerful country or the fact that the national soccer team teeters because it won only one out of the last six qualifier matches for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? The answer, in this latitude, is evident. The former soccer star and drug addict, now more than 40 pounds lighter and three resurrections later, unquestionably overshadowed the election for the first black president of the United States.

The U.S. campaign was followed here without much euphoria: despite national egomania, Argentines seem to understand that neither the country, nor the region, will be amongst the top 100,000 White House priorities. In fact, in an online survey of 13,840 people about which candidate they thought would be best for Argentina, 30.5 percent answered they were "indifferent" to it, 62.5 percent voted for Obama and only 7 percent chose McCain. Finding a Republican in Buenos Aires was virtually impossible; even Maradona, who has "Che" tattooed on his arm, admitted he preferred the Democrat.