WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a congratulatory letter to president-elect Barack Obama, French President Nicholas Sarkozy writes, "Your election raises in France, in Europe, and beyond throughout the world, immense hope." President-elect Barack Obama faces a litany of foreign policy problems when he takes office January 20. Similar statements from dozens of world leaders and images of people around the world celebrating his election make clear Barack Obama will enjoy a good deal of international goodwill when he takes office on January 20. Obama's election offers a monumental transformation of America's face to the world. Many see him as the epitome of the American dream. But his appeal is not solely based on the fact that he is black or that his middle name is Hussein or that his father was Kenyan or that he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.
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Analysis: Many see Obama as the epitome of the American dream
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Analysis: Global excitement over Obama's election is also about Bush's exit
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Analysis: Obama faces complex foreign policy issues when he takes office
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Analysis: Americans will expect Obama to protect their interests first and foremost
Those were welcome words to those who resented what they viewed as eight years of "unilateralist" @placeholder policies.