Interesting, then, how the US has surprised us by its capacity to rethink every given in the course of the presidential campaign. Ten months after the primaries began, the election campaign has not been a distraction, but a way to create spaces for every shade of opinion to find utterance, even outside the US. The way the world has been enthralled by the contest is a message that the dominant sentiment, after the Bush presidency, is not so much anti-Americanism, but exasperation with the uses of American power and a concurrent belief that with adequate political will the superpower can repair its agenda for the greater global good.

So, the past 10 months have been a mix of voyeurism and hope as candidates have made a case for themselves through personal biography. Barack Obama, with the map of the world in his personal history, and a contention that his country is more accommodating of meaningful ambition than anywhere else. John McCain, with a record of dissent with his discredited party, and the idea that political parties must periodically hit the refresh key. These are two vastly different men, and the vote will speak as much about America as for the political agenda in Washington for the next four years.

Either way, the president-elect will have to hit the ground running. The financial crisis begun in the US has shown how interdependent countries are. His words and actions in the next few days will carry more influence than any president-designate’s in living memory.