We Aren’t the World

One side effect of superpower is that cartoonists in all those countries Americans can’t point to on a map are fixated on our democratic process, while we’re free to ignore foreign votes unless they relate to U.S. policy.

Thus, we penned plenty about the recent Afghan elections, and we’re all over January’s hoped-for vote in Iraq, but we wasted no India ink on the Nov. 7 Macedonian referendum or the Nov. 8 presidential results from Botswana.

While Americans fear a global test, the globe fears America’s testosterone. From Africa, Asia, Latin America and both Europes (old and new), cartoonists depict W as an out-of-control commando in chief, eager to prove his mandatehood.

To be fair, not all the world’s press was unimpressed with the way we flexed our political muscles, as shown by the Lebanese cartoonist Jabra Stavro.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I fear that there’s an election in Namibia tomorrow, and I have yet to funny-bone-up on it.