Why does the world watch US presidential elections so closely and with so much interest [COMPACTIDEA]

• No one in the world watches French or UK or Russian or Canadian or Japanese or German or Australian or Indian elections so closely. US presidential elections are watched closely, by both the power-brokers and the general public from the entire world.
• The reason is not only that the outcome of US presidential elections affect the lives of the people in the rest of the world. No. It's also because US presidential elections feel like a sort of reality show to the general public. The debates, the spit that candidates throw on each other, the revelations, the insults, the suspense, the polls, the advantage of English language, etc., together make for a very entertaining reality TV show from the standpoint of the general public. For the general public, the question isn't as much about the effect on their lives. It's the fun part, the part about betting on a horse and then watching its performance with keen interest. Like watching a cricket match. Or like watching Bigg Boss.
• US knows all too well that the rest of the world closely follows US elections. It can only feel happy about this, since this is yet another way in which US spreads its influence.