Iraq

Ordinary Iraqis are united in welcoming the end of the Bush presidency but opinion is mixed over Mr Obama, with many people fearful of a hasty withdrawal of troops.

There is also little enthusiasm for his visit to Baghdad, expected to be some time on Sunday or Monday — around his trip to Jordan — with locals complaining that it will not help to fix the patchy electricity or create jobs. They believe that Mr Obama is travelling to Iraq only as a publicity stunt and to win votes from American soldiers based there.

Not everyone knows who he is. “Is that some kind of meal?” Samir Saif, 22, a shop owner, said when asked what he thought about Mr Obama. The senator’s name sounds similar to the Arabic word for okra (“bamia”).

Israel/Palestinian Authority

Mr Obama is expected to travel to the West Bank headquarters of Mahmoud Abbas in an attempt to build bridges with the Palestinian President, who was outraged by the Democratic senator’s comment that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of a Jewish state — while supporting a two-state solution.

Palestinians had hoped that Mr Obama would present a more even-handed approach than Mr Bush but were shocked by his explicitly pro-Israeli stance. After eight years of almost uncritical backing from the Bush Administration, Israel remains wary of Mr Obama — concerns that have been deepened by his insistence on opening talks with Iran.

Germany

Everyone in German politics wants a bite of Mr Obama when he flies into Berlin on Thursday. Keenest of all is the Mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who is positioning himself to be a future Social Democrat chancellor. He dearly wants a photo opportunity with the senator at the Brandenburg Gate. For that reason Angela Merkel is trying to block an Obama speech there.

The content of the speech is more straightforward: advisers are urging Mr Obama to mimic Kennedy and drop in a German phrase that will enter the history books. The betting is on something like “Ich kann zuhören” — I know how to listen — one of his core messages. Mr Obama makes German business uneasy: they see signs that he could be a protectionist at a time when German growth is slowing and exports look wobbly.

France

If France voted for the US president, Mr Obama would have won by a landslide months ago. In the words of Jack Lang, one of the most senior French Socialists, he is “the kind of American that France loves” — a category that includes the likes of Woody Allen and Sharon Stone. Obamamania swept the media and political world early in the campaign, although there was also widespread affection for Hillary Clinton. The French Establishment, Right and Left, prefers Democrats. A poll by the political research group Pew Centre showed that France had more confidence in Mr Obama than almost any other country, with 68 per cent believing he would bring a favourable change in US policy.

President Sarkozy will roll out the red carpet at the Élysée Palace next Friday, but will be careful to avoid siding too closely with the senator. Mr Sarkozy’s aides say that they would be able to work well with John McCain — another outsider in his own conservative party.

Britain

The agenda next Saturday will be topped by the timetable of the British military withdrawal from Iraq and the scale of its commitment to Afghanistan. Mr Obama is also likely to test British resolve on world trade talks and London’s reaction to a more protectionist stance in Washington.

His meeting with David Cameron — not, it is understood, in the original itinerary — is a matter of political calculation. With 20-point opinion poll leads, it would have been foolhardy to deny a photo-op.

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