World in shock as Trump surges to victory in US
Governments from Asia to Europe reacted with stunned disbelief on November 9 to the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election, while populists hailed the result as a triumph of the people over a failed political establishment.
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German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, described the result as a "huge shock" and questioned whether it meant the end of "Pax Americana", the state of relative peace overseen by Washington that has governed international relations since World War Two.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault pledged to work with Trump but said his personality "raised questions" and he admitted to being unsure what a Trump presidency would mean for key foreign policy challenges, from climate change and the West's nuclear deal with Iran to the war in Syria.
"Looks like this will be the year of the double disaster of the West," former Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt said on Twitter, pointing to Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union. "Fasten seat belts," he said.
Meanwhile, right-wing populists from Australia to France cheered the result as a body blow for the political establishment.
"Their world is falling apart. Ours is being built," Florian Philippot, a senior figure in France's National Front (FN), tweeted. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the party and father of its leader Marine, said: "Today the United States, tomorrow France!"
Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said: "Donald Trump's victory is a sign that citizens of the western world want a clear change in policy."
During the US election campaign, Trump expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioned central tenets of the NATO military alliance and suggested that Japan and the Republic of Korea should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons to shoulder their own defense burden.
