Though world opinion is not expected to make any real impact on the US election, it does put pressure on American expats who wield the power of absentee ballots. Democratic candidate Barack Obama has been holding a clear lead among Americans living outside of the country for some time now.

Along with many other countries, Turkey is also curious about who the next resident of the White House will be as it may have long-term repercussions. At stake is the future of US foreign policy as well its fiscal and economic policies. Many government officials, including those of Turkey, have sent foreign policy advisors to meet with their colleagues on both candidates' teams in a bid to get a feeling of what changes might be on the horizon. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dispatched his chief foreign policy advisor, Ahmet Davutoğlu, to the US last week to get a first-hand look on the candidates' views.

Last June a Pew Global Attitudes Project survey of 24 countries found that in all but three countries Obama was the clear favorite. In Europe, the presumptive Democratic candidate was the overwhelming choice. The BBC World Service poll, the results of which were published last September, found that Obama was favored by a four-to-one margin across the 22,500 people polled in 22 countries. Another poll, taken by the Reader's Digest magazine showed that in 16 out of 17 countries surveyed, Obama was the clear winner.

Another recent opinion poll showed more than 70 nations favoring Democratic nominee Obama, by a resounding three-to-one margin over Republican John McCain. Twenty-two percent of Turks polled said they wanted to see Obama elected US president, while only 8 percent supported McCain, according to a Gallup poll of 70 countries conducted between May and September.

The overwhelming majority of Turks believe Obama will be helpful in repairing the damage to the image of the US worldwide, caused by the unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The voted-down Iraqi resolution allowing US troops to open a new front from northern Iraq through Turkish territory is still fresh in the memories of many Turks. They may feel more comfortable seeing a new face in the White House whose new policy will likely shift the priorities of US foreign policy.

Senator Obama is popular amongst Turks, but some are concerned that relations with the United States could suffer a blow under his presidency given his firm pledges of support for Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, charges categorically denied by Ankara. Some analysts disagree, however, saying that it is all campaign talk and Obama will be more careful once he enters the White House.

Obama also caused concern when it emerged that he referred to Turkey as an " invader" in a letter to a Greek-American group. McCain, on the other hand, is perceived as a follower of the policies of the unpopular George W. Bush, and his hawkish stance on Iran's nuclear program raises fears of a clash between Washington and Ankara over sanctions on Tehran. Turks also dislike Obama's choice of US Senator Joe Biden as vice presidential candidate. Biden's track record shows he has been in disagreement with Ankara's policies..

Curiosity grows

When Sri Murtiningsi asked her third grade class what they wanted to be when they grew up, the answers ranged from doctors to a pilot. One curly haired boy raised his hand: Obama said his dream was to be president of the United States.

Forty years later Murtiningsi -- like the rest of the world -- is watching closely as Americans head to head to the polls today.

Many believe Obama's international experience would go a long way in helping repair damage caused by the unpopular US-led war in Iraq, with recent opinion polls from more than 70 nations favoring him a resounding three-to-one over McCain.

Newspapers across the globe came out in support of the Democratic candidate on Monday.

" Obama the best hope for US revival," said an editorial in The Australian Financial Review said. The Gulf News, an English-language paper in the United Arab Emirates, agreed, saying only he could " undo the great damage done by the Bush administration to America's image," especially in the Middle East. Obama " deserves to win," declared The Irish Times.

Election fever was also high in Vietnam, where McCain is known by some as the US fighter pilot who was shot down in Hanoi during a 1967 bombing run and then held prisoner of war for more than five years.

As a US senator in the 1990s he helped normalize bilateral relations, so he is " someone who understands Vietnam," said Phan Manh Tien, 54, a retired soldier and truck driver, though even he prefers Obama. Like many in this wear-wary nation, the reason is simple: He sees the Democrat as less hawkish. Le Lan Anh, a Hanoi real estate tycoon and novelist, is among the few who disagree.

She says McCain is " a great man," because he passed up the opportunity to leave prison early, ahead of other US inmates. " He's patriotic. As a soldier, he came here to destroy my country, but I admire his dignity."

Many in Pakistan, a close ally in the US war on terror, will be glued to television sets on election day.

The results, they say, will have broad implications for their own Muslim country and neighboring Afghanistan, where American forces have been battling the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies. Violence has spread in recent months from tradition border regions to the capital, Islamabad, where a recent suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel left more than 50 dead.