The Iowa Caucuses are OVER! And the world stood up as one and….. well…. Because the OUTCOME IS…. Well…. Umm…. Not as clear as many were expecting.
Here’s a run down of the outcomes:
*YES THAT IS REALLY REALLY CLOSE.
Ted Cruz: 27.6% (8 delegates)
Donald Trump: 24.3% (7 delegates)
Marco Rubio: 23.1% (7 delegates)
Ben Carson: 9.3% (3 delegates)
Rand Paul: 4.5% (1 delegate)
Jeb Bush: 2.8% (1 delegate)
The Iowa Caucuses dominated US news for the last week and, surprisingly, a lot of outlets from outside the US covered the events as well. The outcomes are being debated all day today, with various “spins” being given and many lessons being “learned." But the real question is: Did any of this matter to the world?
First up, the world was obviously confused. Whether anecdotally (every single non-American colleague of mine at Global Citizen sat me down throughout the day to ask–usually with some trace of embarrassment—“Uhh what is this Caucus thing?”) or in comments and articles online the world gave a resounding “HUH?” to the Caucus system in Iowa.
If you’re still confused, here’s a good explainer from yesterday. It’s brief, it includes some fun with Legos and if you’re still confused at the end have no fear, the next Presidential Primary contest involves straight voting.
But the gap in understanding the mechanics of the Iowa Caucuses didn’t dampen interest in the topic from South Korea to Europe to (of course) every corner of the United States.
And just take a look at these far flung newspaper front pages to get a sense.
MLADÁ FRONTA DNES, Czech Republic
SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, Germany
LA VANGUARDIA, Spain
THE JERUSALEM POST, Israel
GULF NEWS, United Arab Emirates
THE DONG-A ILBO, South Korea
And in the globalized world, coverage was not just limited to an acknowledgement that something happened. This year saw particularly strong engagement by non-US media.
From expected players like BBC doing great analysis:
An unlikely coalition of religious voters may have boosted Ted Cruz to win the #IowaCaucushttps://t.co/JYpM9Hynu4pic.twitter.com/ToOTxlQU66
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 2, 2016
To Sky News keeping people in the UK and Europe up to date with the latest:
#Iowa sees first casualties in White House race; Huckabee and O'Malley suspend campaigns https://t.co/HHIpBM0pWhpic.twitter.com/na9sRzRJxM
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 2, 2016
To an all-out attack on Republican Candidate Donald Trump by German Der Spiegel (yes the article below was the cover of the German language version of the magazine as well).
"The autocrat," "world's most dangerous man," "insanity" -- @derspiegel previews what a Trump presidency could bring https://t.co/iMJmlZlyAV
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) February 1, 2016
But the international media also took the time to focus on the more…inane (?) parts of the coverage as well.
The real winner of the #IowaCaucus: 'Sticker Kid' https://t.co/OqZMZ74ssKpic.twitter.com/F1aZaR4I15
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) February 2, 2016
Because it wouldn’t be a US election without some ridiculous and distracting stories.
And while the world was caught up covering and dissecting the US election, some US outlets were engaging in that most German of pastimes: Schadenfreude.
If this term is new to you, then let me explain. Schadenfreude is a German word with no direct translation in English, but it basically means “taking pleasure in someone else’s downfall or problems.” This international emotion was on full display in US media.
Good job, America!
Posted by Slate.com on Monday, February 1, 2016
And Fox News seemed to engage in this wholeheartedly. Fox has been a regular critic of Republican Candidate Donald Trump and their newscasters seemed to take a lot of joy connecting Trump’s refusal to participate in their debate this week and his below expectation performance in the voting. And it’s not like I’m the only one saying this:
(And more or less ignoring Ted Cruz.)
Posted by Slate.com on Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Yes, I realize that’s 2 Slate.com articles in a row but other media outlets were engaged in Schadenfreude throughout the day as well.
Trump goes silent on Twitter https://t.co/jQlmiucvZqpic.twitter.com/fzcxFnvRo3
— POLITICO (@politico) February 2, 2016
Media piles on Trump after Iowa loss: https://t.co/bX4FOgBllfpic.twitter.com/9gmW2B1Qck
— The Hill (@thehill) February 2, 2016
All jokes aside, the outcome of the Iowa Caucuses is important but it needs to come with some context. This is just the first of many steps in the US Presidential Primary season that will result in party nominations for the general election.
Observers around the world need to see this opening result as simply a first step. Albeit one with potentially more questions (like “Who is Marco Rubio?”) than answers.
The US elections have global impact and are an issue global citizens around the world will continue to engage with and debate. To keep up with Global Citizen’s latest coverage go here.