The US presidential election race is prompting debate on every policy nuance and, in particular, foreign policy. BBC Monitoring's Peter Feuilherade has been tracking how the world's media are covering the two main candidates' potential impact on their regions

Coverage and comment on the US presidential elections in the world's media has focused visibly on the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, with Republican rival John McCain attracting considerably fewer column inches and less airtime.

After Obama declared victory in the presidential nomination race in early June, and later addressed a US pro-Israel lobby, media reaction in the Middle East considered the ramifications for that region.

Some major Israeli papers expressed doubts about what Obama's nomination meant for Israel, with the centre-right paper Ma'ariv saying that his speech to the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee was mainly a recognition that he needed to voice support for Israel in order to get elected.


The Dubai-based pan-Arab TV channel Al-Arabiya highlighted Obama's pledge to work against Iran's nuclear programme, while Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam TV noted his vow to maintain Israel's military strength.

Reaction to Obama's visit in the Palestinian press was overwhelmingly negative, with papers interpreting his visit as a campaign ploy aimed at pro-Israeli sections of the American public.

Egypt's most widely-read paper, the pro-government Al-Ahram, cautioned Arabs against pinning hope on a new US administration led by Obama. "In spite of all their assets and oil and the enormity of the US interests in the Middle East, Arabs do not possess tools of influence on US policy," the paper commented.

Following Obama's visit to Israel, there was a mixed response in the country's press, with cynicism about its purpose slightly outweighing enthusiasm for the candidate.

The left-of-centre paper Ha'aretz accused Obama of pandering too much to pro-Israeli interests in the US, to the detriment of the peace process and Israel itself. "The interests of the pro-Israel lobby in America do not always chime with the interests of the State of Israel," the paper said in an editorial.

Overall, Obama's tour of Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories in July was dominated by scepticism.

Reaction to Obama's visit in the Palestinian press was overwhelmingly negative, with papers interpreting his visit as a campaign ploy aimed at pro-Israeli sections of the American public. Likewise, Iraqi commentators tended to see his stay in their country as primarily designed for US domestic consumption.

Palestinian and other Arabic-speaking commentators in particular took note of Obama's strong comments in support of Israel, accusing him of bias and of pandering to pro-Israeli interests in the US.

In Afghanistan, the press took a distinctly pro-Obama stance, however, following statements in which he intimated he would, if elected, make the country a priority in the USA's counterterrorism efforts.


If McCain wins the election, it's been predicted that the USA might toughen its policy towards the Russian Federation.

Speaking to the corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax, Vyacheslav Nikonov, president of the Polity Foundation, reacted to remarks by McCain calling for a tougher position, in particular expelling it from the G8. "I believe that he [McCain] does have a grudge against Russia." But he felt that fundamental changes in Russia's policy towards the USA were unlikely in the immediate future. "I do not rule out a worsening of relations if McCain wins the election, though at present this does not look feasible," Nikonov said.
Novyye Izvestiya, another Russian daily, which is sometimes critical of the Russian government, was also negative about the Republican contender, commenting: "While [Obama] is trying to be the new Kennedy and doing everything to show his progressiveness, youth and positive mood, McCain is trying on the image of a formidable missionary of democracy who is aspiring to restore America's imperial might."

The popular Moscow daily Moskovskiy Komsomolets, said Obama's victory was a "convincing sign of deep changes in US society which cannot be explained only by the country's dissatisfaction with George Bush's rule." The state-owned Rossiyskaya Gazeta believed the unpopularity of the Iraq war would aid his chances of becoming president.


Japan's largest daily, the centre-right Yomiuri Shimbon, said Obama should spell out his policies for East Asia. John McCain had spoken encouragingly, in the paper's view, about the importance of US-Japanese relations, while Obama "has not explained sufficiently how he defines the Japan-US alliance and the East Asia policy. Also, in terms of trade policies, there is a concern over his protectionist views."


In the African press, most commentators hoped that Obama's African heritage could lead to greater prominence for the continent in world affairs.
But Burkina Faso's French-language independent daily, L'Observateur Paalga, held out little hope for an Obama victory in November, saying [though Obama isn't Muslim] Islamophobia would prevent him from reaching the Oval Office.

In one city in western Kenya, Obama supporters will be glued to their TV sets as the elections results come in after 4 November. In Kisumu, at the heartland of Obama's father's Luo community, the festivities had already begun in June, Kenyan KTN TV reported, as locals gathered in bars and downed bottles of an alcoholic beverage called Senator to celebrate Obama's nomination victory.

"Barack Obama, son of Kenya, now carries on his shoulders the hopes and dreams of his supporters, both in America and his countrymen in Kenya," the KTN correspondent concluded.

Peter Feuilherade is a media analyst for BBC Monitoring.