Clinton's vision for US foreign policy shared by many globally

THIS week's Democratic convention, which follows Hillary Clinton's selection of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate, is a historic occasion with the former secretary of state becoming the first woman ever to become a presidential nominee for either of the major US parties. This is a massive moment in the country's history, particularly coming so soon after the 2008 selection of Barack Obama as the first black nominee and subsequently president.

While Mrs Clinton has a lead in many recent national polls over Republican nominee Donald Trump, the outcome of the US race is far from sure in what looks likely to be a brutal, negative contest. However, the world wants her to win, and if foreigners were also allowed to vote in November's election, she would prevail by a landslide, despite the reservations held by some about her.

Mrs Clinton was the stand-out winner, for instance, in a poll by Handelsblatt earlier this year with some 20,000 people in the G-20. Among the G-20 countries other than the US (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the UK), her support was strongest in Mexico, Italy, Germany and Brazil. Indeed, the only country of the 19 where Mr Trump bested Mrs Clinton was Russia where he received three times as much support as her. At least part of the explanation for this can be explained by the fact that the billionaire businessman has struck up a warm rapport with President Vladimir Putin, with Mr Trump making a series of pro-Moscow comments during the campaign, including last week when he asserted that the US shouldn't necessarily intervene to protect Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) members such as the Baltic states from a Russia incursion.