GroundTruth

Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, and ascends to what is truly the first global presidency.

And in one of the more powerful moments of the speech, he spoke directly to the world:

“…And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.”

And in this historic moment, as many as 2 billion people from every corner of the world tuned in or linked in via the internet to hear Obama’s words about the “hope” he promised to Americans, and the hope the whole world has that America might live up to its greatest ideals.

“Those ideals still light the world and we will not give them up for expediency’s sake,” he added with some edge in his voice and as the CNN cameras turned to President George W. Bush listening to words that seemed on some level directed at the outgoing administration.

It seemed an unmistakable part of the script for the day that there was an eagerness to say goodbye to the last eight years. Some of the choreography seemed straight out of Hollywood. Now-former Vice President Dick Cheney was in a wheelchair with a cane and a grimace. Did anyone else notice that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Potter, the mean old guy in the wheel chair from the American classic “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

But the essence of the speech was to go beyond partisan politics and the bitter divisions of the past. It was a speech about the fact that there is work to do:

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

And there is indeed an enormous task ahead. This presidency perhaps more than any in history comes with extraordinarily high expectations that Obama can indeed change or “reboot,” as he put it, the way America deals with the world.

And there are many observers who believe these expectations for change — from climate change to controlling AIDS in Africa, from terrorism to tariffs on trade — will be virtually impossible for the new president to live up to.

And based on the work of our GlobalPost correspondents in the field it seems that in many corners of the world, it was quickly becoming apparent that not every place in the world chose to bask in the warm glow that enveloped the Mall in Washington, D.C. where several million people gathered to witness history.

To gauge those expectations, GlobalPost’s 65 correspondents in some 45 countries have set out in this series “For Which It Stands” to listen to people in the countries they cover and to document what this day means for them. And all day they filed into what we call “Reporter’s Notebooks”, which are essentially blogs in search of a better name. Please check out the Reporter’s Notebooks on the GlobalPost site featuring correspondents such as Seth Kugel in Brazil, Miriam Elde in Russiar, and Caryle Murphy in Saudi Arabia.

And so these questions loom large before Obama as he enters the Oval Office: If he truly is the first global president, will his worldwide constituents be patient with his promise for change? And will he ever be able to live up to all that the world expects from the United States of America?

And he stated with clear conviction his view of how he will project American leadership in the world:

“To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your first.”

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect.”

“For the world has changed and we must change with it.”