America's friends should worry about presidential hopefuls' hate-mongering

THE US presidential elections are first and foremost a domestic political matter, the outcome of which should not be influenced by the views of foreigners who aren't allowed to take part in the process.

American voters are being asked to elect the man or the woman who would occupy the White House for the next four years and make critical policy choices that would directly affect the lives of citizens at a time when the United States is facing many difficult challenges at home and abroad.

But you don't have to be an American citizen to be impressed by the way the current primary campaign is stirring a feisty debate among the Republican and Democratic candidates as well as among the voters who are following it.