Some saw the rise of a black American to the U.S. presidency as a transformative event that may repair the battered reputation of the United States, lift the aspirations of global minorities, and renew chances for diplomacy rather than war.

Dozens of people interviewed by McClatchy reporters voiced anticipation that Obama would take a more cooperative approach to global problems than President George Bush.

In the Middle East, some viewed a glimmer of hope out of intractable conflict. In Latin America, others took heart in the meteoric rise of an African-American politician. In Asia, concern lingered over Obama's ability to calm global financial turmoil, but many welcomed the fresh new face of U.S. leadership.

Special pride burst forth in Kenya, the country of origin of Obama's late father, where citizens voiced joy that a descendant of one of their own would occupy the White House. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki declared Thursday a national holiday.

Huge numbers of foreigners and U.S. citizens living overseas jammed into venues for live broadcasts of the election results, a sign of the intense interest in the change pending in U.S. leadership.

In Rio de Janeiro, Ryan Steers, a 23-year-old Brazilian documentary film-maker, said Obama can improve the United States' image abroad.

"Obama is someone the world can trust," Steers said. "That is the most important thing for American right now _ regaining its trust in the world community."

With U.S.-led wars grinding away in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a financial meltdown shaking the pillars of economies worldwide, many foreigners seemed to associate the Bush presidency with a spate of ill fortune and global uncertainty linked to a never-ending war on terrorism. They are eager for more reassuring signs.

"I'm just really, really happy," said Shane Inwood, an English teacher watching U.S. election returns in an Irish pub in Osaka, Japan. "It is more to do with, 'Goodbye Bush,' then 'Hello Obama.'"

Some foreigners could barely believe the news. In London's Trafalgar Square, Hannah Capella, a 20-year-old student, was told of the election result by a correspondent. "That's amazing," said Capella. "I really didn't think it could happen, ... I always thought he was too good to be true," she said of Obama. "We'll see."

Some foreigners said Obama's victory was a clarion call to re-examine racial issues in their own countries.

"It's a fantastic moment for the world to see how a country with widely known racial issues can progress this far," said Mark Tjhung, 27, an Australian writer living in Hong Kong.

As shouts of "Obama! Obama!" nearly drowned out his voice from a restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand, Calum McKenzie echoed that sentiment.

"The Maoris and the Pacific Islanders are going to take inspiration from him," the 34-year-old McKenzie said from the Mustang Saloon & Grill.

U.S. executives working overseas said Obama's triumph heartens foreigners distressed by Washington's tendency toward a go-it-alone approach following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

"They are just so unhappy with the current administration," said Chris Kimble, a U.S. executive based in Bangkok, Thailand, who headed a campaign drive for John McCain among U.S. citizens living there. "The U.S. is not looked on as it used to be. People are expecting that to change to a little more 'open to discussion' type of approach rather than a unilateral style."

In resurgent Russia, where tensions with the West have risen, some people dismissed the pending change of U.S. leadership.

"Both Obama and McCain criticize Russia, blame it for international conflicts. Their hostility offends me and I don't expect any improvement in our relations," said Andrey Grigoriev, a 61-year-old entrepreneur.

The election drew intense interest in the Middle East, where residents gathered before dawn in cafes, bars and army bases to watch the historic election unfold.

Even if they disagreed with his politics, Israelis and Palestinians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Arabs and Jews all saw Obama's victory as a transformative event for the United States and the world. Across the Middle East, there was broad recognition that Americans were embracing a new strategy for the region _ one that relies on diplomacy. Many saw that as a change for the better.

In a Beirut restaurant, Miriam, a 28-year-old from southern Lebanon said her two brothers, both members of Hezbollah, see Obama as an American leader who is willing to take diplomatic risks to avoid military confrontations.

"They think Obama will not damage the Middle East the way Bush did, and they were afraid if McCain made it, the whole region would be in danger," she said.

The daunting challenge facing Obama in trying to bring new stability to the Middle East was made clear Tuesday when Israel broke a relatively-stable, 4-month-old cease fire with Hamas by staging a deadly air strike in the Gaza Strip and sending a small number of troops into the Hamas-controlled region. At least five Palestinians were killed in the attacks.

Perhaps the most serious reservations in the region about Obama can be found in Israel, where some worry that his pledge to engage America's adversaries is politically naive.

Those concerns were reflected in a poll in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that showed Israelis favor McCain over Obama, 46 percent to 34 percent.

"Obama as president, it seems that our hands would be tied and we would be pressed to do things that we don't want to do," said Yona Mishane, a Jerusalem plumber who expressed hope that the president-elect would eventually recognize that supporting Israel "is the right thing to do."

But Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States who is now part of the hawkish Yisrael Beitenu party, said that the fears about Obama's approach might be unfounded.