What does the rest of the world expect from the next US president? Correspondents for Radio Netherlands Worldwide* write about the wishes and fears of people in Africa, Central Europe, China, Latin America and the Middle East.

Central Europe uneasy about missile shield
by Thijs Papôt*

Central EuropeThe main question asked by the governments of Central Europe is: will Obama be able to counter bullying by the Kremlin? Especially now that these countries again find themselves in the middle of a dispute between Russia and the US. Shortly after Obama's election victory, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Moscow will deploy Iskander missiles on the borders of Poland and Lithuania in response to US plans to build a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The objective of the defence system is supposedly to protect the US and Europe from a nuclear attack by ‘rogue states' such as Iran or North Korea. However, Russia is strongly opposed to the construction of this kind of American military infrastructure in Central Europe and says it considers the missile shield a threat to Russian security.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski announced last Thursday that Obama had called to assure him that plans to construct the missile shield will continue. However, spokespeople for Obama later denied he had made the statement. ‘Obama will support the project when there is proof that the technology works.' The statement will certainly lead to new unrest in these countries.

Poland and the Czech Republic already had fears that Obama would be less enthusiastic about the missile shield than his opponent McCain or the government of President Bush. Which is why the Czech government delayed a vote in parliament until after the inauguration. Eastern Europe will watch the planned meeting between Obama and Medvedev later this week with special interest.

Africa shares in American dream
by Koert Lindijer*

AfricaPassers-by on the streets of the Sudanese capital Khartoum greet each other with the words ‘Obama, Obama'. However, a civil servant in a ministry shrugs his shoulders. "It doesn't make any difference as far as Sudan is concerned. Every American government is against us because of Darfur." The government expects even more pressure, more sanctions, more threats of military intervention and the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir as the result of charges brought by the International Court in The Hague.

A historic event can sometimes serve as a catapult for change, such as the release of Nelson Mandela or his election to president of South Africa. Today a similar wave of optimism is spreading through Africa. Commentators point to the enormous emotional and psychological influence which Obama's entry to the White House has on black people, and especially Africans. However, they also add that in Africa there is still no room for an Obama. Abuse of power, corruption and nepotism are so embedded in the African political system that an Obama would probably not stand a chance. Nor, as the opposition Khartoum Monitor points out, would a black non-Muslim have even the slightest chance of becoming president of Sudan, which is an Islamic dictatorship.

Because of Obama's victory, Africa again shares in the American dream of equal opportunity for everyone. But it has still not forgotten the Bush era. For the current president is probably appreciated more in Sudan than any other place on Earth. In 2005, Bush helped with the peace treaty between northern and southern Sudan. US funds to fight AIDS increased three-fold during the Bush administration, while trade between the US and Africa also rose. Many Africans do not have the same grudge against Bush as people in other countries.

The Middle East is not Obama's chief priority
by Michel Hoebink*

Middle EastBesides an enormous feeling of relief over the departure of President George W Bush, the fact that a black man with a Muslim name will be the next president has made a big impression in the Middle East. No one really expected it. It is proof that countries can change and that gives hope. However, this hope has been crushed by political reality.

The mood is cynical insofar as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is concerned. The general impression is that not the president but the American establishment, which will continue to support Israel unconditionally, is responsible for policy. Nothing points to a willingness by Barack Hussein Obama to put Israel under pressure. On the contrary, in a speech he gave in June the president-elect expressed pro-Israeli opinions. He even referred to Jerusalem as the ‘undivided capital' of Israel, though he later said he was misunderstood.

However, Obama's promise to replace Bush's hawk-like style with diplomacy has led to careful optimism as far as Iraq is concerned. It is believed that he will end the war and bring American troops home. His willingness to hold unconditional talks with Iran and Syria - which Bush firmly opposed - has also inspired confidence in the Arab world.

Nonetheless, people in the Middle East understand perfectly well that Obama's chief priority is the credit crisis and not peace in the Middle East.

Latin America is hopeful
By Latin American correspondent Edwin Koopman**

Latin America has responded positively to Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential elections. Relations between current US President George W. Bush and left-wing leaders in the southern half of the continent are less than warm.

The optimism in Latin America has been largely determined by Mr Obama's black identity. It makes him different from other presidents and a bit more like 'them'. Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales drew parallels between Mr Obama's ethnic identity and his own identity as member of Bolivia indigenous peoples. Several of Latin America's revolutionary and anti-US leaders have also welcomed Barack Obama's election to the White House. Former Cuban President Fidel Castro described Mr Obama as intelligent, civilised, even-handed and challenging. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez said Mr Obama's election was a hopeful sign.

Latin AmericaOver the last eight years, Washington has rather neglected Latin America. President Bush had his hands full with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American free trade agreement failed to materialise as Washington largely dictated the terms. Aid to Latin America was decimated and the symbolic distance between North and South took physical form when the Washington constructed a wall along the US-Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out.

It is generally expected that Mr Obama will open the doors to Latin America again, although that does not automatically mean making friends with everybody. The president-elect called Cuba's Castro "a dictator" and Venezuela's Chávez "a demagogue who stepped into the power vacuum that the US created in the region".

In a major departure from the Bush policy on Latin America, the Obama platform calls for restoring friendships on the basis of democracy and human rights records. During the campaign, Mr Obama said, "The situation in the Americas has changed but we failed to keep pace with the changes.

China mainly interested in Obama's Taiwan policy
By China correspondent Erwin Tuil**

The day after winning the US election, Barack Obama rang several world leaders to thank them for their congratulatory messages. However, the Chinese leader was not on the list. China is important but is not one of the US' allies.

China China's state-run television station broadcast Mr Obama's election victory live and called it, "a miracle". The Communist Party newspaper Renmin Ribao publish the news of Mr Obama's win after items about party leader Hu Jintao's upcoming trip to the US to attend an economic summit, the current negotiations with Taiwan and developments in Sichuan in the wake of last May's earthquake.

Despite being relegated to fourth place by the party newspaper, the election of Barack Obama to the White House has had a effect on China's leaders. Polls revealed that the Chinese would have elected Mr Obama by a healthy majority and one-third said they were following the election. Mr Obama is also a source of inspiration for young Chinese people as he represents someone who managed to achieve what many thought impossible.

According to US-affairs expert Shi Yinghong of Beijing's Renmin University, the Chinese government is mainly interested in Mr Obama's policy towards Taiwan. Will he continue sales of new weapons systems to the island that Beijing considers a renegade province?

Chinese President Hu Jintao says he wants to speak with the US President-elect when he attends the Washington summit next week. Will Mr Obama follow his democratic predecessors and embrace protectionism, thereby damaging the Chinese economy? And what are Mr Obama's policies on Tibet, human rights, dissidents and the environment?

* RNW translations (fs)
** RNW translations (jc)