The rest of the world is now disappointed in Obama too

Welcome to the Obama disappointment club.

In a world weary of war and economic crises, and concerned about global climate change, the consensus is that President Obama has not lived up to the lofty expectations that surrounded his 2008 election and Nobel Peace Prize a year later.


Many in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America were also taken aback by his support for gay marriage, a taboo subject among religious conservatives.

In Europe, where more than 200,000 people thronged a Berlin rally in 2008 to hear Obama speak, there's disappointment that he hasn't kept his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and perceptions that he's shunting blame for the financial crisis across the Atlantic.


In Mogadishu, a former teacher wishes he had sent more economic assistance and fewer armed drones to fix Somalia's problems. And many in the Middle East wonder what became of Obama's vow, in a landmark 2009