Editorial Roundup

Excerpts of editorials from newspapers around the world:

Irish Times

This is a world election

DUBLIN — It has been said with justice that this U.S. presidential election is a world election in which the world has no vote. Rarely if ever has a presidential election in the United States attracted so much international attention, based on the assumed worldwide consequences of a Bush or Kerry victory.

… The balance of international opinion decisively favors a Kerry victory — and especially so in Europe.

In evaluating the international effects of the election, these facts about a deeply polarized United States — and a polarized world — must be taken fully into account. But so must the possibility that either man would in fact pursue a convergent and surprisingly similar agenda. If Mr. Bush wins he would feel more free in a second term to repair international relations hurt by the Iraq war and less constrained by his conservative base. If Mr. Kerry is victorious he would apply his more multilateral approach to the same objectives, especially over Iraq. Neither man would be in a hurry to repeat that exercise in unilateral pre-emptive intervention. They would both have to grapple with declining U.S. influence abroad and the weakening performance of the American economy arising from trade and budgetary deficits.

Goteborgs-Posten

Religion and the U.S. election

GOTEBORG, Sweden — There are certainly conservative Christians in both the Democratic and Republican parties, but the Christian right has “kidnapped” the Republicans.

This means that its influence on politics has increased or, in other words, a mutual dependence has strengthened the political importance of religion. And it is among the religious conservatives that [President] Bush hopes to be able to mobilize new voters by making the most of religion in the election.

The problem for the Democrats and [Sen.] John Kerry is that this also puts traditionally Democratic voters with a strong religious view under a troublesome cross pressure.

Daily Telegraph

Kidnapped CARE director

LONDON — The Iraqi husband of Margaret Hassan, the CARE International director who was kidnapped in Iraq [at midmonth], has appealed to her abductors to release her because “she is an Iraqi” who has nothing to do with politics. He also reminded them that Mrs. Hassan has devoted the past 30 years to helping the people of Iraq.

Tahseen Ali Hassan’s pleas are heartfelt and true. It would be misguided, however, to think that the insurgents in Iraq have any regard for such niceties. Many are not themselves Iraqi, but fanatics from other Middle Eastern countries. To be Iraqi offers no protection, since they have killed hundreds of Iraqi civilians in bomb attacks. …

There is but one chink of hope: kidnappers in Iraq have not yet murdered a female hostage. It may be that — for all that Mrs. Hassan has done to help Iraq — it is her gender alone that can save her.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung

U.S.-Chinese relations

MUNICH — Viewed from afar, they don’t get on badly — here the old superpower, there the rising regional power.

Indeed, the United States and China get on better today than they have for decades, and the world can be thankful for that.

[Secretary of State] Colin Powell is the first high-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since the withdrawal from politics of the old strongman, Jiang Zemin — and it seems that the new leadership is sticking to the foreign policy legacy of Jiang, who put China on a U.S.-friendly course in the face of some domestic resistance.

He recognized that — at least at first — China can become great only with, not against America.

… The beloved sport of “China-bashing” is playing only a peripheral role in the U.S. election campaign. It is centering more on Iraq and terrorism.

Still, Mr. Powell’s visit also shows once again the whereabouts of the fractures are that are just waiting to reopen — there is the issue of human rights, but above all the issue of Taiwan.