In Iran, government officials have taken no official position on the US race, but several people interviewed said the government and average Iranians would welcome Obama and direct talks between Tehran and Washington. “The majority of Iranians feel that the Democrats support what they want: a drastic change in relations with the US. So for them, the coming of Obama would be a good omen,” said Hermidas Bavand, professor of US-Iranian relations at the Allameh Tabatabai University.

In Latin America, Obama’s recent declaration that he would meet Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba has been widely welcomed as a break from Bush policy, though, he has declared that he is not an admirer of Chavez.

Obama is popular in Colombia largely because of deep resentments toward the Bush administration’s policies, including the Iraq war.

Still, not everyone has been riveted by the US election. Russians have proven supremely indifferent to the U.S. primaries; one poll earlier this year found that only 5 per cent of Russians said they were closely watching the race.