Confusion over election results
continues
International students react
to U.S. election
By Erica Sagon
City
Editor
Across the country, this
year's election has been viewed as both an embarrassment and the embodiment
of American democracy at work.
Some Purdue international
students say that the lack of an announcement of a president-elect has
not negatively impacted their views of the country's politics.
Frank Wilson, a political
science professor, said the credibility of American democracy hasn't
been undermined abroad.
"They're looking at this
with amusement," Wilson said. "People abroad are as confused as Americans
on how this situation will be resolved."
The global confusion stems
from the events preventing the announcement of a president-elect nearly
a week after Election Day.
Before an announcement is
made, election officials must first consider the recount of votes in
Florida, pending recounts in Iowa and Wisconsin, the reversal of New
Mexico's initial projection and incoming absentee ballots.
Mahesh Turaga, a graduate
student from India, said he expected the presidential election to run
smoothly.
"Some rules are not really
clear. (In India) we have certain rules to follow, especially with the
outcome," said Turaga. "I didn't expect this of America."
However, Turaga said he doesn't
have a negative opinion of American politics because he is confident
that election officials will be able to resolve any conflict.
Wilson said it's likely that
the international esteem for American democracy may change if the election
results take much longer.
"I don't think their opinion
on how we run the democracy has yet been affected. It might be (affected)
if we continue to prolong this situation," Wilson said.
"The bigger danger in the
eyes of the world is not last week and the immediate weeks to come,
but what might happen with the next president," he said.
Wilson added that the candidate
that becomes president will face a lack of legitimacy in the United
States and abroad. The narrowness of the vote and the candidates' apparent
inability to win over the American people will change how the international
community views and interacts with the United States, he said.
"On an international scale,
diplomats may find it worrisome to accept American pledges and treaties,"
Wilson said.
Frank Lin, a senior in the
School of Liberal Arts, said some credibility has been lost with the
Florida recount.
"I think that the elections
are somewhat like a loss of confidence among the people in America,"
said Lin, who is a native of Taiwan. "It kind of shows there's some
incompetence. It makes fun of democracy."
Other international students
said this election isn't an entirely negative indication of American
democracy.
"What is happening in Florida
— I thought it was impossible," said Obaid Memom, a senior in the
Schools of Engineering. "I thought the law and order was a lot better
(in the United States)."
However, Obaid said that
when compared to the military rule in his home country of Pakistan,
the U.S. government and electoral process is commendable.
Lindawaty Soelistio, an Indonesian
student in the School of Management, said the Florida recount is a signal
of fair democracy.
"In a positive way, they
are willing to find out the best way to make a decision," Soelistio
said. "In a negative way, there's so much fuss. I guess it's just politics."
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