The world waits for America’s vote….

As Americans cast their votes to choose the president for the next four years, the whole world is watching closely, especially allies in Europe and rivals such as Russia, China and Iran, which could all expect a very different U.S. foreign policy depending on who wins Tuesday’s election.

Here are the latest developments:

• Commentators in China hope for a respite with a Democratic administration under Joe Biden but fear that whoever wins, the new U.S.-China rivalry started by President Trump might persist.
• Pro-Kremlin media warn elections could lead to chaos and street fighting, predicting that Trump will be forced to retreat to his White House bunker after the vote.
• Many European leaders are watching anxiously, fearing Trump would weaken or destroy NATO if reelected.
• In Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made much of his close ties with Trump, analysts wonder if a Democratic win might weaken the Israeli leader’s long hold on power.
• Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mocked Trump for predicting fraud in his own country’s election, calling it the “ugly face of liberal democracy.”

The choice of a U.S. president is always a matter of global importance — to allies, rivals, trading partners, and the web of treaties and institutions that bind countries together. This time, however, the stakes are exceedingly high.