The world's press Wednesday hailed Barack Obama's inauguration as the start of a pivotal era far removed from the Bush years, but warned the new US president must deliver on his promises of change. Newspapers in the United States trumpeted "President Obama" after a historic day which saw the swearing-in of the country's first black president.
"President Obama Pledges a Remade America," wrote the New York Times, hailing what it called a "moment of historical significance". The Washington Post highlighted the difficult road ahead for the former Illinois senator, saying: "The challenges we face are real." British newspapers were swept along on the global tide of Obama euphoria, splashing the headlines: "Hope is reborn", "Let the remaking of America begin today" and, on a lighter note, "Barack to the future".
Most saw Obama's inauguration address as a clear break from the administration of George W. Bush, with the left-wing Guardian proclaiming: "The work of doing things different now begins."
In Australia, the Daily Telegraph said that as the first black president, Obama's leadership represents "a massive step in ending racial enmity." But it warned that "the symbolism of Mr Obama's role, as compelling as it is, fades next to the magnitude of his task" with the world economy in meltdown, conflict in the Middle East and global climate change. The French press also focused on the tough challenges facing Obama, with the conservative Le Figaro stressing that he faces "a heavy task to prevent the economic decline of the United States and the collapse of the global economy."
In Indonesia, where Obama spent several years of his childhood, the Jakarta Post urged the country's citizens to be proud of "President Barry" while the Jakarta Globe said Obama's approach would have a unifying effect on the world. However, China's state-run media expressed nervousness over the future of Beijing's relations with Washington under the new president, paying tribute to his predecessor Bush. The most precious legacy of Bush's eight years in power was the stabilising of Sino-US relations, according to an editorial in the English-language China Daily - a vehicle for the government to air views to a foreign audience. "Given the popular American eagerness for a break from the Bush years, many wonder, or worry to be precise, whether the new president would ignore the hard-earned progress in bilateral ties," the editorial said.
Elsewhere, world newspapers offered Obama a wish-list of causes and hoped-for policies. "What people want from him from today on is not only beautiful speeches but also results and achievement," said Japan's Asahi Shimbun, sounding caution over Obama's protectionist rhetoric in the run-up to the election. "If he sticks too much to the cause of protecting jobs and American markets and companies, global free trade would be in jeopardy," it said.
South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper urged the new administration to cooperate closely with Seoul to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, "while at the same time adopting a tough diplomatic stance." The Times of India called on the new president to split his energies between kick-starting the world economy and shifting foreign policy attention to "the real battleground in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
"Obama cannot afford to engage Pakistan only to tackle al Qaeda and the Taliban," it said. "To continue the world's war against terror, he will have to pursue the other extremist outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front organisations which export violence from that country."
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