The United States has had its international critics these last few years, but last night, Barack Obama had some words for them: "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
While Americans witnessed history last night, the rest of the world embraced the moment as well. International leaders and regular foreign citizens alike responded with hopefulness. Here's a round up of some of the best quotes coming from abroad:
- Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General: "I am very optimistic that we will have a very strong relationship, a renewed partnership under his administration. He values highly the resolution of all the conflict issues through dialogue."
- Nicolas Sarkozy, French President: "I give you my warmest congratulations and, through me, those of all French people. Your brilliant victory rewards a tireless commitment to serve the American people."
- Mwai Kibaki, Kenyan President: "The victory of Senator Obama is our own victory because of his roots here in Kenya. As a country, we are full of pride for his success."
- Nelson Mandela: "Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."
- Ali Aghamohammadi, Aid to Iranian Ayatollah: "The president-elect has promised changes in policies. There is a capacity for the improvement of ties between America and Iran if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also concentrating on America's state matters and removing the American people's concerns."
To see more pictures from around the world, read more.
- Portrait of Obama on the Barcelona beachfront.
- London prepared for the results.
- Party in Berlin.
- American student in Australia celebrates.
- Outside the house Obama lived with his family whilst in Indonesia.
- About 700 American students celebrate the victory.
- Puri, India sends its congrats!
- An Iraqi soldier watches the news unfold
- A newsstand in Paris.
- Mugs for sale in Gaza.
1928 Collection
It's cool to be part of something that makes the world feel hopeful again: nothing's ever going to be perfect, but with positive attitudes working together we can do an awful lot of good.
1Is that the real sarkozy or the canadians playing a prank
Mandela spoke beautiful words as always
2Agreed steph
:) 
3Darn you Liberty now my makeup is running!
LOL pinkprincess, that's what I was thinking too!
4Seeing all the positive reactions from all around the world is so much fun and so heartwarming!
5Steph, that is so true.
I really hope this doesn't sound patronising but today I actually wish I was American. I'm as excited and overwrought with optimism and emotion as every person who voted for him, but I can't possibly know how it feels for all of you today who woke up knowing that yesterday, you helped to change the world. I come from a small and insignificant European country so realistically, I will never know that feeling and I'm so jealous. So enjoy it!
6Kiki, there is no 'insignificant' country!
7Well maybe that was badly phrased Steph, but in international terms we're pretty insignificant! I just mean we're not big enough or important enough to change the direction of world events and our elections only effect us...
8Kiki tee - You care, that's what matters. No country, no person is insignificant and Obama's campaign proved that fact last night.
It was individuals who came together caring to make a difference, and it doesn't matter what nation we're from, what color we are, what sex we are. It doesn't matter what differences there are between us as long as we care and want to make the world better.
Stephley - I totally agree. It feels so good to feel like we did something positive for the world. Yesterday was the first time I was ever able to vote, and the fact that I got to cast my ballot for him makes me want to sing from the rooftops. The fact that he won makes me want to tap dance and score a musical.
9It was AMAZING to be in France today - everyone congratulated me, and I saw a bunch of my students wearing tshirts that said "Thank you America," or "We love Obama." This is the first time in three years that I've been proud to be American.
10The world is really in awe of America today. We didn't think you had it in you
11Damn right we had it in us! Over half of the people eligible to vote, DID. Before Bush was elected, roughly 1/10th of the eligible population voted, normally.
We've come so far. I just hope we don't fall backwards.
Proposition 8 passed in California, I think, as well as Act 1 in Arkansas....and it makes me sad that we can elect our first African American president, but we refuse to protect families just because they are made up of gay or unmarried individuals.
Hopefully, this truly is a sign America's moving forward and it's not just a fluke.
12It's so different from four years ago, and that "We're sorry" website and book - it's nice to feel proud of us.
13It makes me sad to see all the comments about people finally being proud of being an American because of who we elected President-- people should not be proud of America based on a President. People should be proud of our country because of the freedoms we have, the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight and die for us, of our Constitution and other laws that make this the great country it is. Whether or not you like a President shouldn't have anything to do with it. I don't like Obama but that doesn't mean that in January I'm not going to be proud of being American--I will be proud of that until the day I die, regardless of who is President. I frankly don't care what other countries think of us anyway. I didn't vote so other countries would finally like America, I voted for what is best for our country. People are too worried about traveling in Europe and having people not like them-- big deal. Maybe we should worry about bigger things than that.
14I honestly don't think people are *that* concerned with what other countries think about us, and I really don't think people got their butts up outta their chairs to vote and thought, "Hmm, what would PM Brown think?". I think the win was large enough for Obama for me to believe that people really did want a new leader for America.
...and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't totally behind the idea of a president who has a good grasp of the English language.
Kidding, kidding! (Mmm...sorta). 
15"It makes me sad to see all the comments about people finally being proud of being an American because of who we elected President-- people should not be proud of America based on a President."
Nobody said that. Do you know what assuming does? Do ya? DO YA?
Rain, rain...go away, come again some other day...
16Bacon, you can also be ashamed of the actions your country takes without hating your country. Patriotism isn't a one-tiered thing. I have been disappointed and ashamed to be an American at times in the past 8 years. Does it mean I don't respect the office of the President or think this is a horrible terrible country? Of course not. It means I believe in citizens using their brains and questioning the direction the country is going. It means we should use our right to vote to change those things. I am more proud of my country right now than I ever have been because I feel like the voters did those things.
One of my favorite quotes is "Saying my country right or wrong is like saying my sister drunk or sober."
17I think I do vote with at least an eye to what other countries think of us. What we do has a greater impact on the rest of the world than most other countries and unless we can figure out a way to undo that - and I don't think we want to - then we should respect that responsibility and privilege.
18Bacon you are missing the point. Being proud of your country is very different from being patriotic. I have been disappointed in this country for many years. We have so much power and influence and our government has chose to exploit rather than help other countries improve. I believe that Americans have finally banded together and voted in someone who can actually change things for the better. We need to care about other nations not because we want them to "like" us but because we need to have good relations if we want a better world for our children. We have to work together -we are not alone.
19Well, I'm disappointed in America today. At least, Obama wants to get rid of the BCS system in college football.
20The mood towards America has turned a sharp corner and the world is excited and happy to see what obama will bring to the table.
21"We need to care about other nations not because we want them to "like" us but because we need to have good relations if we want a better world for our children. We have to work together -we are not alone."
Couldn't have said it better myself geebers, we are all citizens of the world and if our new president brings a new hope for becoming an even greater world society I think that's great!
I'm always proud to be an American, in no other country could some like Barack Obama become president. I'm just even more proud than usual today because now I have concrete proof of that fact.
22Ha ha, organic. That is change that is long overdue!
23bacon - I was raised to be patriotic all my life. I love what my country stands for and have always been proud of that.
But I have not been proud of what America has done or what it's stood for for the last 8 years. My pride for what my country is died a long time ago. I was still proud of what it stood for, but I had truly started to believe that my fellow Americans had forgotten what it meant to be American. That what America stood for when it was founded was a long forgotten myth.
I'm not proud of my country again because of who the President is. I'm proud because this is a man whose campaign was founded by broke college students, pensioners, and single mothers. Who inspired a nation to band together to not only elect a barely-in-the-door Senator, but also the first African American president.
The fact that after so many years of watching the people that MY FELLOW AMERICANS ELECTED disgrace the country I love, we have FINALLY put aside our hate, put aside our differences, and elected a man who I truly believe will help put our nation back on track.
It's not Obama that I'm proud of -- it's my fellow countrymen and women.
24And for the record, I do vote with the rest of the world in mind. America is one of the major nations shaping and building (or destroying) the world around us and we need to think of how our actions and the actions of the president will effect the world.
Maybe I've got a broader view because I'm married to a Brit and have spent months living abroad, but it would be impossible for me to vote for a candidate without pondering how their policies will effect the world at large.
25"It's not Obama that I'm proud of -- it's my fellow countrymen and women."
Exactly.
It's not the man but what the man represents. And so many Americans realized the hope, they took that inspiration and ran with it. I hope the trend continues and I believe it will.
26I'm sorry, but thinking that the whole point of the positive reaction around the world is because it'll make travelling in Europe a little easier astounds me in the breadth of it's ignorance.
27America's standing in the world has declined so much in the past eight years because of it's part in dragging the rest of us into an unwarranted war which by the way is contributing heftily to the current economic woes your country is facing.
To diminish what happened yesterday in this way is both childish and completely lacking in any sense of history and what is happening outside your borders right now.
Contrary to what you might think, people were thinking of bigger things.
That is why your President elect is so popular with the rest of us.
We finally think you got it right!!!!!!!!
lol, this makes me think of the John Stewart (or Stephen Colbert, cant remember which) moment where he shows people in other countries waving American flags and dancing and says "hey, those people's flags are broken, they are not on fire!!"
I think the biggest change is going to be preception and public image, realistically, I don't see too many groundbreaking changes in fact - but image and position in the world does lead to a lot of factual changes as well...
28I was going to reply to "Bacon" but it appears as though she already got the smack down.
I like how Kenya is trying to take some ownership of the Obama presidency. Maybe they can weasel some more aid out of us at the expense of Rwanda or something.
29Oh and bacon, your comment about being worried about people liking us in Europe:
I spent four months in Great Britain this summer, and never once was someone rude to me about my country. They make fun of us a lot on TV, but that's it. People were more than willing to discuss my country with me and listen to my side of things and ask if what they were seeing in their media was all true, and to get the story straight from an American citizen's mouth.
It's not worrying about being able to travel in Europe. It's about being able to sit there and tell people that no, my country isn't being run by tyrants. That the American people aren't so blind and so foolish as to be fine with allowing a man like George Bush to run our country. Being able to say that intolerance and hatred are NOT the defining factors in my country.
But most importantly, it's about electing a president who will do the right thing not just by special interest groups or by Wall Street or even just by America, but will do the right thing by the WORLD.
30Thanks for that post, ceej. We needed input from someone who is not American and lives overseas.
31...and personally, I don't think "how other countries view America" really affects my vote or voting habits, but the fact that we live in such a global world today (and not just because I want to vacation in the UK) kind of makes their opinions important as well, don't you think?
32And for the record, other countries are not derogatory towards Americans, they just like to laugh at Bush when he says "awesome" cos that's so presidential.
33"I like how Kenya is trying to take some ownership of the Obama presidency. Maybe they can weasel some more aid out of us at the expense of Rwanda or something."
34Thank God crap like this will be out of fashion soon.
Because Rwanda is the be all and end all of countries that need aid in Africa and in the world. Brush up on your current world affairs dude, there is more to Africa than Rwanda, 52 more other countries in fact.
35It'll be nice not to be a world laughingstock anymore.
36"And for the record, other countries are not derogatory towards Americans, they just like to laugh at Bush when he says "awesome" cos that's so presidential."
Haha. Bush was 'cool' with his congratulatory speech this morning.
37I second that, Jude.
38I agree with Bacon completely. And I have to add--why is it that we are so damn concerned what other countries think about us? As individuals, don't we preach not to care what other people think and do what's right for you? And I'm sorry--especially France. France, as in the country we've hauled out of World Wars and still told us that their airspace was a no-fly zone to us afterward. Does anybody remember this? And Iran--read it ladies--the man said there'd be "improvement of ties between America and Iran if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan". Iraq I grant you--mistake. But Afghanistan? Hello, that's where the sick individuals that killed 3000 of our innocent citizens are. But I guess we're supposed to be happy that Obama would want to let that slide. How great that all we care about is that we've won an international popularity contest!
39Not every American is celebrating in the streets. About half of us are in mourning. Show some respect.
40ACTUALLY, Sugasuga, he doesn't want to let that slide. As a matter of fact, Afghanistan is one of his priorities. He wants to remove troops from Iraq, yes, but he wants to move some of the troops into Iraq to help snuff out what remaining terrorist factions are left and to find Bin Laden.
You should do some more homework on Obama before accusing him of letting 911 slide.
41The stock market is taking a beating today, the worst in weeks.
42Argh, I made a typo...
when I said "He wants to move some of the troops into Iraq.."
..that should be "wants to move troops from Iraq into Afghanistan to help snuff..."
And Suga - When Bush got re-elected, the ensuing sadness hit me square in the gutt. I had such a bad depression crash in my bipolar that I spent almost a month as a zombie, very much in mourning. The world went on and I had to deal with it. Nobody gave me special treatment because I was in mourning over that man being re-elected.
43You should re-read, Matdredalia. Iran's happiness for Obama's election was contingent upon what he told them during a visit...not what he's been telling us. Iran is pleased because they feel that Obama would not have invaded Afghanistan. Sorry, but there were tons of us that "didn't drink the Kool-Aid" in regards to the Obama train...they just aren't on this Sugar site.
44Organic - it's also rising in some places. It's bouncing up and down all over, just as it has been for weeks.
45It's down overall, by a sizeable margin.
46Just wanted to point out--everyone on this site, other than organic, seems to think the entire nation is ecstatic. That is far from the case. Only half of you are. The rest of us have a very difficult time swallowing that we elected a senator with the most liberal voting record in existence. Extremes of that nature were never good for anybody. So nobody's asking for special treatment...just an acknowledgment that this "jubilation" is not all-inclusive.
47'Not every American is celebrating in the streets. About half of us are in mourning. Show some respect.'
Respect. For your mourning. Ooookkkk. How do you recommend we show some respect?
48Suga - There are plenty of people around here that didn't vote for Obama. Trust me, I've met many McCain supporters on this site.
And Iran's opinion on whether or not he would have invaded Afghanistan isn't really that important, is it? They can't know what he would have done int he aftermath of 911 because he wasn't president then.
However, he is, and will be now, and I'm sorry, but I believe him when he says he wants to focus on Afghanistan, where we SHOULD be focused instead of the BS in Iraq.
49Sugasuga go back and read the responses to Bacon -you said the exact same thing she has said and we have all responded pretty nicely.
And have you watched any debates? Read on anything Obama has said? Because he has VERY CLEARLY said that we need troops in Aghanistan to find Bin Laden -the cause of 911.
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