Before Iceland’s finance and food crisis became so very public, three guys from that country launched a little site with a great big idea - If the World Could Vote. Anyone can go along and cast their vote and the idea is that the results will provide a snapshot of global opinion as to who would be the next President of the United States if the whole world was to have its say.
I came across it on Hjörtur Smárason’s blog, which I had returned to in order to read his post on reputation, but ended up nipping off to vote, getting thoroughly distracted looking at the world’s current voting patterns for either Barack Obama or John McCain. The site instigators have joined the dots, so you can bookmark it, get at it through Facebook and other social media channels and, from what they say, it looks as though the idea may be replicated by some mainstream media outlets.
How appropriate that this has been generated in Iceland, given that the country has been so publicly and dramatically affected by the global financial crisis which had its roots so firmly in US soil.
Some might say the US election is none of our global business. They might argue that the US is an independent nation and should be subject only to the 'will of the people' and to hell with everyone else's opinion. Which is just fine and yankee-doodle-dandy if the US maintained its isolationist policies of old. However its economy, international influence, military clout, trade rules and policies have an enormous impact on millions of lives around the world - whether asked for or not - so yes we do have an interest and it is our business. And every US citizen who takes on the responsibility of casting their vote should keep the rest of us in mind.
Amid the crisis, Iceland asks the world: How would you vote?
Before Iceland’s finance and food crisis became so very public, three guys from that country launched a little site with a great big idea - If the World Could Vote. Anyone can go along and cast their vote and the idea is that the results will provide a snapshot of global opinion as to who would be the next President of the United States if the whole world was to have its say.
I came across it on Hjörtur Smárason’s blog, which I had returned to in order to read his post on reputation, but ended up nipping off to vote, getting thoroughly distracted looking at the world’s current voting patterns for either Barack Obama or John McCain. The site instigators have joined the dots, so you can bookmark it, get at it through Facebook and other social media channels and, from what they say, it looks as though the idea may be replicated by some mainstream media outlets.
How appropriate that this has been generated in Iceland, given that the country has been so publicly and dramatically affected by the global financial crisis which had its roots so firmly in US soil.
Some might say the US election is none of our global business. They might argue that the US is an independent nation and should be subject only to the 'will of the people' and to hell with everyone else's opinion. Which is just fine and yankee-doodle-dandy if the US maintained its isolationist policies of old. However its economy, international influence, military clout, trade rules and policies have an enormous impact on millions of lives around the world - whether asked for or not - so yes we do have an interest and it is our business. And every US citizen who takes on the responsibility of casting their vote should keep the rest of us in mind.
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