DELHI, India – The events we came across today in Delhi gave us a glimpse of the issues that the burgeoning country will have to tackle as its population grows ever more affluent and expects the same freedoms afforded to their counterparts in the west. See it all in today’s photo gallery.

BERUIT, Lebanon – On the heels of a fresh power-sharing agreement and the election of a new president, the Lebanese begin a stretch of celebrating their new found peace. See more of the celebration here…

The start of an ongoing series of observing the U.S. Presidential elections from abroad. Today, a survey of the political mood from across the world so far. Next, a piece on the Obama factor in his father’s native Kenya.

Throughout our travels, we have sought to get a sense of where people stand on political issues, and in particular, whether they have any thoughts about the candidates in the U.S. primary race for president. The topic usually follows a relatively predictable script in which people first deride Bush and express their sincerest hopes that whoever follows him will demonstrate a little more competence and international goodwill.

The general non-American opinion on this year’s primary candidates is not very nuanced, due to a lack of substantive information in most smaller foreign newspapers, but it is hard to blame them, especially considering there were about 15 candidates in total when the Democrats and Republicans began the race for the nomination.

Occasionally, we come across a political buff that has taken an interest in the race and has lots of questions, but in a primary season that is so exaggeratedly lengthy, most of the world just doesn’t have the time or energy to constantly keep up. On the whole, it can be safely said that the Republican Party does not have a very good reputation outside of the U.S., and the vast majority of the people we meet seem to be looking to the Democrats to undo what many see as an overly aggressive eight years of U.S. policy.
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BELGRADE, SERBIA – Just out of curiosity, we went to a political rally for the ultra-conservative party in Serbia today. The national parties are campaigning for support before upcoming elections, and the main issue is still the dispute over Kosovo. See today’s photos here.