George Bush's electoral woes and the subsequent resignation of Donald Rumsfeld was widely greeted yesterday with gloating, tinged with concern at the impact of a weakened presidency on issues ranging from trade to Iran.
While many countries declined to comment formally, leftwing governments and opposition parties, particularly in Europe, welcomed Mr Bush's setback. The sense of relief was echoed by religious leaders, analysts, and voices from the street in the Middle East and Asia.
Romano Prodi, the Italian prime minister, was optimistic. "The resignation means a speeding up of the change in US politics. We will see in the coming weeks what will be the new direction."
There was less optimism in Iraq. Nadim al-Jabiri, an academic and member of the United Iraqi Alliance, said of Mr Rumsfeld: "I don't think his resignation will have an effect on the ground, as our problems are too great."
Fattah al-Sheikh, an MP from the alliance led by Moqtada al-Sadr saw the resignation as a sign of defeat. "The US administration has decided to change its agenda for Iraq. Rumsfeld has become the scapegoat for the change to take effect. I expect [US ambassador Zalmay] Khalilzad to follow him in a matter of days." A spokesman for the French foreign ministry, the most prominent critic of the Bush administration in Europe, particularly over Iraq, said: "No comment. It is a domestic matter for the US." But Laurent Fabius, a former prime minister and candidate to head the Socialists in next year's presidential election, said: "A lot of Americans have realised that Mr Bush has lied to them."
More than 200 Socialist members of the European parliament issued a statement calling the results "the beginning of the end of a six-year nightmare for the world". The ruling Spanish Socialist party welcomed the result, saying the party hoped it would "help to change the course of US foreign policy". Concern for a weakened Bush administration was reflected by Denmark's prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who hoped the president and Congress would find "common ground" on Iraq and Afghanistan. He added: "The world needs a vigorous USA."
Arabs relished Mr Bush's setback, but had little hope that it would mean a significant change in US policy in the Middle East. "There will be a feeling that justice has been done partly, although not completely," Mustafa al-Sayyid, a political scientist at Cairo University, told Reuters. In Israel, some analysts expressed concern that political deadlock in Washington might distract attention from problems in the region, primarily Iran. A Palestinian government official said that it did not matter to Palestinians whether Republicans or Democrats were in power.
Iranian state television said in a commentary that the Republicans suffered losses because of "Bush's wrong strategy in the Middle East" as well as "financial corruption in the United States". In Pakistan, an opposition parliamentarian, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, hoped for more. Mr Bush "deserves a Saddam-like death sentence", he said. The Chinese government is concerned that the Democrats, who champion protection of US jobs, will create obstacles to free trade.
Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president and arch-critic of Mr Bush, said: "It's a reprisal vote against the war, against the corruption. This fills us with optimism."
p/s: Due to my extreme hatredness to dis two figures, I wish not 2 insert their pics here. They dun deserve even a space in my blog...
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