Eye on Africa

****Photo PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

The United States presidential electoral campaign generates as much excitement in Africa as it does in other parts of the world. I just returned from a trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania where the fascination is apparent everywhere. In a sense, Africans feel that they have a stake in this race. They see Barack Obama as one of their own who may get a chance to run the most powerful nation in the world.

Along with Nayan Chanda (YaleGlobal Online Magazine), Martin Klingst (Die Zeit Weekly Newspaper) and Hisham Melhem (Al Arabiya), I joined Judy Woodruff on PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer for a discussion on foreign perspectives on the campaign and the two candidates.

Here is part of the discussion:

RAY SUAREZ: Finally tonight, the foreign fascination with the U.S. presidential contest. Judy Woodruff has the story.

JUDY WOODRUFF: This year’s campaign is grabbing the attention of millions of people overseas. A poll released today by the Pew Research Center, surveying more than 24,000 people in 24 countries, found that many believe the next president may well change U.S. foreign policy for the better and that, just about everywhere, greater numbers express confidence in presidential candidate Barack Obama than in John McCain.

The survey also found favorable views of the United States have increased modestly since 2007 in 10 of 21 countries.

For more now, we get four views from around the world. Hisham Melhem, he’s Washington bureau chief for Al Arabiya, a Middle East satellite news channel.

Martin Klingst, he’s Washington bureau chief Die Zeit, a German newsweekly.

Freelance journalist Mvemba Dizolele, he is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

And Nayan Chanda, he’s editor of YaleGlobal Online Magazine. He is an Indian citizen.

Read the segment transcript