World watches with anticipation for US presidential outcome

The world is watching to see how the presidential race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris turns out, with enormous stakes for Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the global south hanging in the balance.

“The world is hanging on America” read the headline of the popular Italian newspaper La Stampa on Tuesday, summing up the anxiety, anticipation and fascination felt around the globe.

Foreign journalists have routinely carried out the pilgrimage to the United States to cover the presidential elections, tasked with translating for their audiences the issues at front of mind for American voters, and trying to work out how the policies of the next U.S. president will impact their own country.

“Talking to voters, I have the impression that they live … no, not even in a different country, it's a different universe,” said Maciej Czarnecki, global affairs reporter for the Polish newspaper Gazety Wyborczej.

“It's like there is no shared reality anymore.”

U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is critical for Poland’s security and of major interest for Czarnecki’s audience. There’s concern over Trump’s unpredictability in continuing American support and whether Harris will maintain the Biden administration’s cautious doling out of weapons while holding back political commitments that critics say is harming Kyiv’s defense.

Beyond the substance, foreign viewers also like the drama.

“Frankly speaking, another is that many people simply like watching the soap opera of American politics every four years,” Czarnecki said.

One European journalist summed up how the election outcome will be written: “Whoever wins it will be historic — the first woman, black, South Asian; or the first convicted felon,” referencing Trump's myriad legal challenges, including felony convictions in New York.

Though foreign policy falls low on the list of priorities of what drives American voters to the polls, U.S. relations with Israel and policy towards the war in Gaza, escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine featured prominently in the race.

Some foreign reporters have honed in on not only the divides between Trump and Harris, but individual lawmakers, at a time when the increasing partisanship is impacting foreign policy.

The Kyiv Post, a Ukraine-based English-language newspaper, analyzed the “five best and five worst Republicans for Ukraine,” and their projection for victory in House races.

This included looking at Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who has voted against every House measure supporting Ukraine and is facing a tight contest over her response to hurricane damage in the state.

The article points out Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a vocal Ukraine supporter, is facing a tight race in his district.

“That's a pretty extraordinarily deep dive for a story in a Ukrainian paper, but really matters to them,” said Carla Anne Robbins, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), speaking on the “The World Next Week” podcast.

William Yang, a freelance journalist for foreign media outlets based in Taipei, said Taiwanese media is gearing up for nonstop coverage of U.S. election results.

“One very interesting phenomenon that we will see here tomorrow morning, which is tonight in the U.S., when the polls are closed and the votes are coming in, is that you'll see all major television stations covering and following the updates as if it's a Taiwan election,” he said in a call with The Hill from Taipei.

“It's been the case even since the [George W. Bush] and Al Gore race in 2000, that was a very dramatic race.”

Like Europe, Asia is bracing for the implications of a Harris or Trump victory. Taiwanese have expressed anxiety over Trump’s comments on the campaign trail raising doubt that the U.S. would intervene in defense of the island in the event of a Chinese invasion, and calling for Taipei to pay Washington for protection.

“I think that has stirred up a lot of anxiety about a possible second Trump administration,” Yang said.

The conduct of the U.S. election is also a major focus for the world, with international election observers arriving in the U.S. to monitor the elections in a practice that has taken place since 2002.

The observation mission is headed up by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the 57-member international body created after the Cold War to promote democracy and human rights in post-Soviet States.

Observers are invited in by the U.S., something of both practical and symbolic importance. America in doing so opens itself up to scrutiny from outside observers, and encourages countries more at risk of unfair election practices to be documented and held accountable.

Although 64 countries and the European Union have held elections in 2024, the U.S. election still stands out.

“In this year of elections, the biggest enchilada of them all is the U.S. election,” said Robert McMahon, managing editor of the CFR Digital Content department, on “The World Next Week” podcast.

“This is the big standard-bearer for all the flaws and hypocrisy and things that we've noted on this podcast and elsewhere. The United States matters, and how it votes matters to the rest of the world.”

The OSCE/ODIHR election interim report summed up the U.S. precampaign period as characterized by “aggressive rhetoric, personal attacks and instances of election-related violence,” referencing the two assassination attempts against Trump.

The observation mission consists of 250 observers, including 150 members of parliament from more than 40 countries. In its preelection reporting, the OSCE mission has raised concern about campaign financing and redistricting, ballot access obstacles faced by independents and smaller parties, voting restrictions on felons and ex-felons, and lack of full representation for residents in Washington and U.S. territories.

But the mission has also noted what it describes as positive developments, such as measures implemented in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to enhance voting security and accessibility, and expansion of early voting and mail-in ballots in states like Michigan, Virginia, and North Carolina.

“Whether observing in Europe, Central Asia, or North America, the aim of our election observation missions is the same: to assess the extent to which the election environment is conducive to the exercise of democratic rights and whether the electoral process is characterized by equality, universality, political pluralism, confidence, transparency, and accountability,” wrote Pia Kauma, OSCE special coordinator and a member of Parliament from Finland, in an op-ed.