Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Derek Sijder The International House on South 11th Street is home to 53 international students and 19 American students.

International students are witnessing U.S. history as the November election approaches. With Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, both the first of their kind in the two major political parties, the U.S. will potentially have its first non-white president or its first female vice president. But some are still baffled by the process.

"American politics are confusing," said Ryan Sims, a senior engineering major from Scotland.

Although Sims cannot vote this November, his views are helpful in understanding the way American politics is viewed from an international perspective, said Terry Christensen, a political science professor.

California hosts most of the nation's 582,984 international students, according to the annual report published by the Institute of International Education.

"Having international students in our classes gives us all a broader

perspective on American politics and helps American students understand how our

system differs from others, including its shortcomings," Christensen said

Sims, who has been here in the U.S. for three months, said, "Europe already feels as if Obama has won."

International students' preference for Obama over McCain can be attributed to the candidates' images, Christensen said.

Obama has "a perspective that is more respectful of other countries and more willing to work cooperatively to solve international problems," Christensen said.

According to ABC News, this year Europeans are seeing much more of the current U.S. presidential election than they normally would. News media from Germany to England have headlined the Illinois senator in a number of popular newspapers.

One headline reads, "This Black American Has Become the New Kennedy!"

Some international students said they think that American politics places too much emphasis on the candidates' personal lives and race and not enough on how well they would run the country.

"If I were allowed to vote, I wouldn't vote based on image and race," Sims said.

With the complexity of the U.S. political system, American politics can be a culture shock for some international students.

"The laws and regulations of the U.S. shock (foreigners) the most," said Lina Janssen, a mass communications graduate student from Germany.

"America is not really a free country," she added.

Some believe that politics, no matter what country, are "dirty."

"When I look at politics, I always see a gamble," said Abhishek Sharma, a graduate electrical engineering student from India.

Sharma said all politics are dirty in some way, and some countries are just able to hide it better. Although he said he was not following the election as closely as he would if he were able to vote, he does prefer Obama to McCain.

"It takes one person to stimulate the sequence universally," he said. "One person is all it takes."

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