Elections: International Perspective

Many American citizens are currently afraid and ashamed by the presidential election results, but most importantly shocked that their country could elect a man with such a controversial profile. But the American citizens are not the only worried ones.According to the World Socialist Web Site, European Union foreign ministers gathered Sunday night and monday night in Brussels for their first meeting after the election of Donald Trump. There is deep concern in European ruling circles, moreover, since Trump denounced the NATO alliance as superfluous during the campaign and demanded Europe to pay more for NATO defense. Also, in Europe, as well as in other parts of the world, many women have become concerned with Trump’s degrading comments, including ones he made in a 2005 Access Hollywood tape, where he talked of grabbing women “by the pussy.”Marina Claret (’18), a 15-year-old Samo student originally from Barcelona, Spain and a self-proclaimed women’s rights activist, believes that this election phenomenon has created more radicalism than ever before.“One of my biggest fears is a chain reaction in Europe’s politics,” Claret said. “For example, Marine Le Pen, the president of the Front National in France, and [an] extremely racist and homophobic person, could be elected as the president and at the same time there are some radicalist political parties in Europe that are gaining a lot of power. When Trump won, dictators from all over the world congratulated him.”Claret’s concerns about international effects, however, reach farther than just possible elected leaders.“Also, I’m worried about global warming and possible wars because Europe is already struggling with its economy and the last thing we want is another world war. However, what has affected me the most is that my morality and feminism -- if they are not the same thing -- have been deeply saddened by the step society has taken back,” Claret said.Claret expresses a fear representative of the mentality of many Europeans. A huge cloud of anxiousness reigns over Europe. In France, the American election has been receiving constant attention for a couple days. Trump’s wish to break out of NATO, a military alliance formed between 28 countries formed almost 7 decades ago, and his lack of commitment with the COP 21 (Conference of Parties), an effort to limit climate change, worries the French people. A division of NATO would have tremendous repercussions all over Europe and would create a huge ongoing division in the European Union. However, not all Europeans share the same thoughts. Unlike Claret, there are people who aren't equally affected by the elections and assimilate the results differently.David Romero, a French teenager who is very interested about international politics, doesn't show as much concern as Marina and accepts the results with a distinct behavior. “Although I do not share Trump's ideology, I respect the decision that the majority of citizens in the United States have taken,” Romero said. “I think the United States is a great country regardless of its president.”On the other hand, Tamas Szeles (’18), a Hungarian student at Samo who recently came to the states, is deeply disappointed because he thinks that aside from people’s mentalities towards politics any president elected anywhere in the world should get a chance of demonstrating its potential before being judged.“I’m disappointed about the American society because although Trump has been elected, all Americans should trust him and try to be united in order to build a better country everybody can be proud of,” Szeles said.