News of Obama’s Presidential Victory Spreads to Lebanon
News of Barack Obama’s presidential victory has reached Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East through radio, the Internet, and text message. Obama’s position as president-elect has touched many in the region and encouraged Lebanese opinion on the future of worldwide democracy.
26-year-old Lebanese television employee Samar Jamal stated that Obama’s election affected him personally and when he heard the news over the radio, it gave him shivers. “I felt concretely what the American democracy was really about. I felt jealous. I wished we could have such a peaceful political transition in our part of the world, ” stated Jamal.
Other reports also state that Middle Easterners were overjoyed at Obama’s victory, because his father was born a Muslim, and that many sent congratulations to each other with a simple, “mabrouk”–a traditional Muslim celebratory greeting.
However, the effects of Obama’s leadership on Lebanon and US-Lebanese relations remains to be seen. ”There won’t be a lot of changes directly for Lebanon. But indirectly, if Obama opens negotiations with Iran and Syria, this will give Lebanon a break and allow for a transition period,” stated Kamal Wazne of the Beirut-based Center of American Strategic Studies. But for now Lebanese citizens and political analysts alike are delighted with the new American president-elect.
Venus Vahedi
