AMERICAN FRONT PAGES

Washington Post (US)

Obama makes history

Hundreds line up to buy Wednesday’s special edition of the Washington Post, as a souvenir of Obama’s historic victory. Despite the WP already having ordered a bigger print round than usual, an extra quarter of a million copies had to be printed to meet demand.

 
The New York Times (US)

Racial barrier falls in decisive victory

Another major paper, The New York Times, also struggled to supply enough copies of its Wednesday edition. By Wednesday evening, a copy of the NYT was selling on the on-line auction site eBay for nearly $200.

USA Today (US)

Obama win makes history, reshapes American politics

Another major US paper, Thursday’s edition is out, looking ahead at the issues to which Obama must now turn his attention: “two wars, economic crisis, staffing”.

FOREIGN FRONT PAGES

Libération (France)

An American dream

Obama’s message of hope has been taken up by the press around the globe. Left-leaning French paper Libération sums up Obama’s victory in its front-page headline “An American dream”.

The New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)

Yes we can

On the other side of the world, Obama’s now-famous slogan was emblazoned on the front of New Zealand’s main newspaper.

Kommerçant (Russia)

Extralegal act

In stark contrast, the top story in Russia’s leading business daily is Russian president Dmitri Medvedev’s first state-of-the-nation address. Obama’s election barely makes the front page.

Moscow Times (Russia)

Obama gets telegram, no spot in speech

Same thing in the Moscow Times: the top story is Medvedev’s speech, in which he skipped the opportunity to acknowledge Obama win. Instead the Russian leader spoke more generally about the US administration, accusing it of “selfish” foreign policy in the past, and simply sent Obama a telegram.

ANALYSIS

Die Presse (Germany)

A president who doesn’t only think in black and white

This German article believes Obama can be a president of consensus.

Le Figaro (France)

Two or three things we don’t know about Obama

As an illustration of that consensual character, this French daily recounts an instance when Obama was a kid in Indonesia, being bullied by other kids for his different appearance, and was thrown into a well. But he kept his cool and simply picked himself back up with a smile.

Financial Times (UK)

Obama hits the ground running

Obama is set to reach across the bipartisan divide by appointing several Republicans to his senior cabinet positions, as well as bringing on board Democrats who worked with Hillary Clinton, his former rival for the presidential nomination.

Wall Street Journal (Europe)

Challenges await new president

The WSJ’s European edition meanwhile warns of a looming clash of global interests, despite Obama’s wide popularity.

Acharq Al-Awsat (pan-Arabic)

King Obama

This London-based, pan-Arabic paper sees Obama’s election as an opportunity in the Middle East – for Syria to return to the international arena, for the US to legitimately get out of Iraq, and for Israel to have less reason to keep up the conflict with the Palestinians.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

The Guardian (UK)

The US has truly overcome and the world is joining in

Wangari Maathai, a prominent Kenyan political and environmental campaigner who was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace prize four years ago, draws lessons for Kenya in Obama’s election: that you can reach your goals by being strong, committed and focused, that ethnic divisions can be overcome, and that Africans need to roll up their sleeves and make the most of circumstances to improve their relations with the new American leadership.

Jakarta Post (Indonesia)

Obama fever hits the world

This Indonesian paper publishes pictures from around the world of jubilation at Obama’s victory, from traditional dancers in Kenya, to residents in the town of Obama in western Japan.