海角大神

President Obama found himself in a familiar setting Wednesday during his historic visit to Laos: inside a university auditorium taking questions from young people.

With his tie off and sleeves rolled up, Mr. Obama addressed issues ranging from global health to the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Summit in the mountainous northern town of Luang Praban. He delivered a message of optimism to his ambitious and youthful audience 鈥� more than 70 percent of the population in Laos is under 30 鈥� in what has become a ritual component of his trips to the region.

Obama has made a point to reach out to young people on many of the 11 trips he鈥檚 made to Asia since taking office in 2009. His visit to Laos this week, the first for any sitting US president,聽has proved no different 鈥� and聽his administration hopes events like the one on Wednesday will form a lasting impression on a generation of young leaders in the world鈥檚 fastest-growing and youngest region.

鈥淚f we aren鈥檛 here, interacting and learning from you, and understanding the culture of the region, then we鈥檒l be left behind,鈥� Obama said in response to a question about the future of US-Southeast Asian relations. 鈥淲e鈥檒l miss an opportunity and I don鈥檛 want that to happen.鈥澛�

After a week of headline-stealing diplomatic squabbles 鈥撀爁irst on a tarmac in China and second with an insult lobbed at him by the Filipino president 鈥撀燨bama appeared buoyant at Wednesday's town hall. (The event was live streamed on the White House website.)聽He made sure to allow a young person from every country in attendance to ask a question and seemed to relish the opportunity to relive his days as a college professor.聽

One of the Obama鈥檚 most notable political assets has been his ability to engage young Americans. Bilveer Singh, an international relations specialist at the National University of Singapore, says the same can be said about the president鈥檚 appeal overseas.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about what Obama has done but what he symbolizes,鈥� Mr. Singh says, referring to Obama鈥檚 status as the first black president of the US. 鈥淗is story is a great inspiration to young people all over the world. That鈥檚 the Obama effect.鈥�

The president has taken full advantage of that during his visits to more than 50 countries over the past seven years. From Havana to Hanoi, he has often addressed young people directly with soaring and inspirational language. What has emerged is a common message of self-determination, national pride, and global unity, especially on his trips to Southeast Asia, where he spent part of his youth.

鈥淯nlocking a nation鈥檚 potential depends on empowering all its people, especially its young people,鈥� Obama said聽at the University of Yangon in 2012. And earlier this year: 鈥淚 want to say to all the young people listening:聽Your talent, your drive, your dreams 鈥� in those things, Vietnam has everything it needs to thrive.鈥�

Obama鈥檚 efforts have paid considerable dividends for America鈥檚 global image among younger generations. A 2015 found that young people in 22 of 39 nations expressed significantly more favorable views toward America than their parents and grandparents. Overall, a median of 69 percent of countries surveyed held a favorable opinion of the US, while just 24 percent expressed an unfavorable view.聽

Still, not all young people have fallen for the so-called Obama effect. Deny Giovanno, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia who was a law student there when Obama visited in 2010, recalls only minor details from the president鈥檚 聽in the university's field house.

鈥淗ow he spoke at that time was very good and he surely has amazing public speaking skills,鈥� Mr. Giovanno says in an email. 鈥淏ut what I remember is how he talked about Nasi Goreng and Bakso鈥� 鈥� traditional Indonesian dishes.