The power-shifting midterm elections played prominently in newspapers around the world. Here's a sampling of views:
A new "sinister bubble" in U.S. politics — Le Figaro (France)
The much-touted Tea Party insurgency is "nothing but a sinister bubble that will disappear as quickly as it formed," says Jean-Sébastien Stehli in Le Figaro, via WorldMeets.us. Like other "obsessional crises seen regularly in America" — the "witch trials of Salem or the witch hunts of Joseph McCarthy," say — the Puritanical Tea Party will arrive in Congress, make waves, then "disappear, victims of their own incompetence, after voters regain their senses."
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"The Tea Party: An 'American fever' that will soon pass"
Americans took a lesson in fiscal sanity from the U.K. — The Daily Telegraph (Britain)
The resurgent Republicans' first stated goal is to cut government spending, says Daniel Hannan in The Telegraph, and "Britons should take satisfaction from the return of candidates" committed to returning America to "the sublime principles on which it was founded" — British principles, "as I never tire of pointing out." The voters, like the Founding Fathers, were right that "governments, like individuals, must live within their means."
"It's morning in America"
'Extremist' GOP may want to cut aid to Middle East — Arab News (Saudi Arabia)
American voters gave a "damning thumbs down" to Obama, says Arab News in an editorial — and a thumbs up of sorts to "extremist" Tea Party wing of the GOP. What does this mean for the Middle East? "The Republicans are going to want to cut foreign aid or get more value for their money. That will have implications for a number of states in the [region] — in particular Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Palestine and maybe even Israel."
"U.S. poll results"
Voters didn't like Obama's stance toward Israel — Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Obama may be tempted to read the election as a "sign that voters were unhappy with his economic policies," says Jerusalem Post in an editorial. "But foreign policy dissatisfaction, including where this region is concerned, may have played a role, too. Polls have consistently shown that Americans want their president to be pro-Israel and that many Americans and Israelis do not believe the policies of the Obama administration thus far have fit that description." If Obama wants to win a second term, he should adjust course now.
"Obama's opportunity"
A glum note for Obama's Mumbai trip — The Hindu (India)
The Tea Party victory represents a "huge change in the U.S. political climate," says The Hindu in an editorial. Obama now faces "a hostile Congress and an electorate that is no longer listening to him." On the bright side, he will still have some freedom on foreign policy arena, "which the Congress has traditionally left to the executive branch." Still, this "electoral debacle is bound to cast its shadow on Mr. Obama's India visit."
"Political climate-change in the U.S."
