PARIS — Could Europe be categorized as a U.S. Democratic Party "blue state" and Asia, a Republican Party "red state"?

American presidential elections provide a near perfect test to understand the difference between European and Asian worldviews, even if the two continents are far from united internally.

If you want America to lead by the power of example, you favor Barack Obama; if you want to be reassured by the continuation of America's power in a traditional security sense, you probably prefer John McCain.