The incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama narrowly won a majority of the popular vote against the Republican challenger Mitt Romney, 50.6 percent to 47.9 percent. However, he won a commanding majority among the fast-growing Latino (71 percent) and Asian populations (73 percent), along with African-Americans (93 percent), according to New York Times exit polls. In other words, he swept groups representing the “Global South” or “Majority World” regions of Latin America, Africa and Asia.

According to a pre-election BBC survey of 21,000 people in 21 countries, residents in all but one country backed Obama. Only Pakistan, the site of massive, unpopular U.S. drone attacks, preferred Romney.

To better gauge global opinions, we conducted written interviews with more than 20 native Koreans and international students from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America that attended two leading, Seoul-based universities: Hanyang University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS).

The consensus view was that Obama was open to peaceful cooperation with other countries, and that Romney carried the taint of belligerent nationalism associated with George W. Bush.

Danish Javed (Hanyang), 24, came from Pakistan, the only country surveyed to reject Obama. Despite the disappointed expectations, Danish still preferred Obama to Romney.

“Obama is a better president for the U.S., my country and for the world in my opinion…because if U.S. forces are pulled out from Afghanistan it might ease up the terrorist activities in my country from Afghanistan. For the world, because generally he is a believer of negotiation and less violence in my opinion although drone strikes have increased in Pakistan but American troop withdrawal is a good policy. Similarly, I like the way he is easing tensions in the case of North Korea and working things with peace and sanctions rather than war policy.”

Said Kristina Kashfullina (HUFS), 20, Russia: “The U.S. president has to avoid violence and forget about the desire to prove to the rest of the world what is superpower number one, i.e. be more pragmatic.”

South Korean student Lucie Kim (HUFS), 20, saw President Obama as the leader who can peacefully resolve the conflict with North Korea, especially on nuclear proliferation.

“If Romney became president, since he puts emphasis on military spending and national security, there’s more possibility for him to conflict with Iran, North Korea (those who were called an ‘axis of evil’ by George W. Bush). His perspective came to me as American exceptionalism that could turn hostile to other countries if their policy is not benefiting the U.S. Since Obama created the NSS (Nuclear Security Summit) and declared that he would try to engage both North Korea and Iran in negotiating manner, I think it’s more likely that he would deal with these countries in a peaceful manner.”

John Chung (HUFS), 21, also mentioned Obama’s personal ties to Korea. “Obama is a strong pro-Korean who favors Korean education. He has also appointed many Korean-Americans to high positions such as World Bank and ambassador to the United States. And of course, he spoke at HUFS, when he visited Korea this year!”

Students from Western Europe pushed Obama to be more progressive on social welfare, the environment, Israel-Palestine and Guantanamo. Wrote Axel Fix (HUFS), 21, France: “I think that Obama is better for the U.S. because for the first time he has made a big step in the social health care system and to rebuild the economy. Concerning the world, it really depends on if he will make the big step to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

Jochen Sproll (Hanyang), 27, Germany, said: “Obama stands for an environmental change and a green economy. If he will be able to continue his policy, the whole world will profit from that, when the U.S. cuts down its CO2 emissions. For Germany especially, it will be better to deal with Obama as a counterpart in world politics. He has won the world peace price and has promised to end the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. might be less violent with Obama. But he did not hold his promise to close Guantanamo, which is a big mess for the whole world.”

Respondents from Arab countries, who disliked the American bias for Israel, expressed more lukewarm support for Obama. Mohammed Al-Sadah (HUFS), 30, Yemen, said, “Maybe I support Obama, because I know nothing about Romney ... Better the devil you know!” he joked. No matter who is the U.S. president, Mohammed was skeptical that the pro-Israel policies of U.S. government would change. He asked the next U.S. president “to review the U.S. foreign policy towards Arab and Muslim countries and the Israel-Arab conflict and just to be neutral.”

In addition, deeply religiously conservative respondents voiced strong opposition to Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage. Cromwell Bature (HUFS), 39, Nigeria, said, “The endorsement of gay marriage by Obama is something I detest because I am a Christian.”

Ruvimbo Mbudzi (HUFS), 31, Zimbabwe, added, “I have serious reservations about Obama’s support on gay marriage. To me, it’s unacceptable and where I come from it’s ‘taboo.’ Biblically, sodomy and homosexuality are unaccepted and God destroyed Sodom and Gommorah for that.”

Still, all respondents expressed a degree of wonder and pride at the election and reelection of America’s first black president. Bature and Mbudzi said that all of Africa rejoiced in his election.

By Joseph Yi, with Axel Fix and John Chung

Joseph Yi is assistant professor of public administration at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and lecturer of political science at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. Axel Fix and John Chung are students at HUFS. ― Ed.