Governments across the world are anxiously watching the race for the White House, as they prepare for either Republican Donald Trump securing a second term as U.S. president or for an electoral win by his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Who will be the international winners and losers from Tuesday's U.S. election?
"The last four years have confirmed that the choices the U.S. makes are highly consequential for international politics," according to a commentary by Britain's leading foreign policy research group, Chatham House.
Chatham House added, "The next president will determine how America's diplomatic, economic and military resources are invested, and, especially, what value the U.S. will attach to existing alliances and multilateral institutions. Whoever sits in the White House will shape the trajectory of the U.S.–China relationship and the global economy, with significant implications for America's partners."
And implications for U.S. adversaries. Although some profess to claim the impact might not be as great as some might think.
Russian experts say they expect little improvement in relations between Moscow and Washington, regardless of who wins.
"Putin and people around him might like Trump because he fits very nicely with their view of the world," according to Andrey Kortunov of the Russian International Affairs Council, a research group based in Moscow, in referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kortunov points to Trump's skepticism about the importance of multilateral institutions and his more transactional approach to diplomacy.
But Kortunov says he does not expect Moscow to shift its foreign policy in the coming months, regardless of who is in the White House. Antagonism, he says, will continue.
"Russia's leaders have long been convinced that any unilateral steps or shifts in Moscow's foreign policy will be perceived in the West as a sign of weakness, and thus an invitation to crank up the pressure on Russia," he said. "Russians don't back down. This principle has remained at the core of Russia's foreign policy throughout the years."
Former Russian officials over the past few months have also told VOA they expect relations to remain antagonistic with the United States and Europe, blaming what they see as a U.S.-led conspiracy to curb Russian influence.
"Some people in the Kremlin hoped it would be different with Donald Trump. But I wasn't holding my breath," a former senior Kremlin aide told VOA, describing debates among Russian officials in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. election. Much of the same is happening now, say other former officials.
Despite apparent Russian nonchalance about the result, few in Moscow or elsewhere in the world doubt the enormous global ramifications of Tuesday's election. A reporter for Britain's Sky News suggested on air that the world should have a vote in the election because of the international repercussions of the result. This is not just a national election, but a global one, he said.
Hundreds of millions around the globe will likely stay up for overnight election watch parties. Others say they will interrupt their work day to keep an eye on the results as they start to unfold. Some cities are planning to broadcast election coverage on billboard-sized televisions.
Aside from the fascination with U.S. politics, foreign governments often view the election through the prism of their strategic interests.
"Although the U.S. presidency is not as all powerful as many people think, it is certainly, both inside and outside of the U.S., the most powerful elected position in the world. Right now, the world is looking at the U.S. with great anxiety and expectation," according to Cas Mudde, professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, writing in Britain's The Guardian newspaper.
Anxiety is shared by governments at this stage — whether they prefer Trump or Biden. With opinion polls getting their predictions wrong in 2016, no overseas leader can be sure how this election will turn out.
Most foreign leaders have been guarded in expressing who they would prefer to see win. Analysts say national leaders most closely associated with Trump, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, have been cautious in their praise of him, fearing if he loses, their full-throated support of Trump would adversely affect relations with a potential Biden administration.