WASHINGTON -- If the U.S. presidential election were being held outside the country's borders, Barack Obama would likely win.

From a baby in Guinea Bissau named after the Democratic candidate to Palestinian youths cold-calling American voters from the Gaza strip, "Obamamania" has taken hold.

That's not to say the other candidates aren't getting their fair share of attention. More than ever, it seems, proactive support and interest in the U.S. presidential election is flourishing in the unlikeliest of places.

"The amount of interest is astonishing," said Carole Bell, an American living in London and the founder of at least two Meet-Up networking groups -- one for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and another for Obama. Bell, an author and publisher of Americans-Away-From-Home.com, said she now focuses on the Obama networking group since she has decided to vote for him.

"To my very big surprise, a lot of non-Americans joined (the Obama Meet-Up)," she said, referring to the popular online tool that helps organize people for periodic social gatherings to dish, network and brainstorm over a shared interest. The Obama group is London's largest Meet-Up for the U.S. presidential race, with nearly 300 participants. The Clinton group has 57 members now, according to its site.

The Meet-Up for Republican candidate Ron Paul, who hasn't officially dropped out of the race but isn't active on the campaign trail, currently has 149 members. They are planning a London rally on Tuesday (to coincide with a Washington, D.C., Paul event). So far, no Meet-Ups in London have been arranged for prospective Republican nominee John McCain.

Click here to read about foreign press interest in the 2008 U.S. presidential race.

Obama continues to dominate among American ex-pats -- he won the Democrats Abroad global primary over Clinton, 66-33 percent with 23,105 votes cast, and took three delegates to Clinton's 1.5 (Democrats Abroad also has 4 1/2 superdelegate votes in August's convention).

"Various projects and activities" have been planned among pro-Obama Americans living in Jakarta and Bali in Indonesia, while Clinton support remains "quiet and determined," said Arian Ardie, chairman of the Americans Abroad chapter in that country. He said he has heard of much bigger pro-Clinton groups in Europe. Clinton won only two out of the 164 countries and territories that participated in the Democrats' global primary -- Israel and the Philippines.

But Obama's appeal abroad isn't just among Americans. Foreigners both cosmopolitan and provincial are also watching the candidate closely. Obama and Clinton are both meeting Thursday with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. John McCain recently returned from a four-nation tour in which he met with Brown as well as the leaders of France, Iraq and Israel.

"I am confident, with Senator Obama in the White House, that the world will become more open and produce more smiling children," said Nelson de Barros, the father of an infant boy he named "Obama," following his birth in the African nation of Guinea Bissau on March 18.

De Barros shared his story with the Web site, TheWorldWantsObama.com, which has become a sort of clearinghouse for Obama's global support base."Everything that happens in America has repercussions throughout the world. I sympathize a great deal with the transparent, realistic and progressive ideas and convictions of Senator Obama," de Barros wrote. "Obama is the Best!"

Samuel Solvit, a French university student who started the French Support Committee for Barack Obama, agreed.

"Even people who aren't interested in American politics are becoming interested [in] Obama," Solvit wrote in an e-mail to FOXNews.com.

"The upcoming U.S. election is crucial for the United States and the world. The American influence and power in terms of economy, culture, military and diplomacy is obvious," he wrote. "Without intervening, the committee expresses its support and particular attention to the candidate Obama."

Solvit said the committee plans to distribute a pro-Obama newsletter and engage interviews, conferences and seek media coverage for their cause in and around France.

"The common theme was, Obama seemed to encapsulate an old America that many of us had an affection for," said Englishman Justin Alexander, when asked why he and his friends started the London-based TheWorldWantsObama.com, which has generated interest in places as far-flung as Egypt and Japan. "We think he would listen to world opinion and he's a diplomat, rather than following a unilateral policy. I think that's some of the source of the international excitement."

Larry Sabato, professor and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, offered a few reasons for international Obamamania, but noted primarily the Illinois senator's racial and ethnic background. Obama was born to a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. He has traveled to Africa to visit his father's homeland and while a child lived for four years in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather.

"The difference this year seems to be that Obama's international upbringing has motivated more foreign nationals to get involved in some way," said Sabato. "I've noticed that international students in my classes are following the campaign closely, and some have chosen to do volunteer work for Obama, and others. I have some for Clinton and McCain, too."

British excitement for Clinton is certainly evident as well. Bell said she often hears news of fundraisers for the New York senator, and Clinton surrogates have made an active attempt to keep her supporters abroad in the loop. The Clintons continue to be a source of celebrity and curiosity among the people there. "Their star doesn't seem to be dimming," she said.

In fact, one Brit eager to prove his loyalty to the Clinton cause showed up in New York last week. Pop icon Elton John headlined a concert fundraiser for the former first lady that raised an estimated $2.5 million for her campaign.

"The reason I'm here tonight is to play music, but more importantly as someone who comes from abroad, and is in America quite a lot of the time (and) is extremely interested in the political process because it affects the whole world," John told the audience. "I've always been a Hillary supporter."

Crossing a Line?

Part of the fascination with the U.S. presidential race is surely aided by the Internet, which has allowed non-Americans to get active in U.S. politics in real time and in very personal terms.

Recently, Al Jazeera reported on a group of young Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who took it upon themselves to get together and randomly cold-call Americans in the U.S., encouraging them to vote for Obama. In an interview on the English version of the Arabic news network, 23-year-old coordinator Abu Juyyab told the reporter that hearing Obama speak won him over.

"I thought, this was a man who is capable of change outside of America. ... I think he can also bring peace to the area -- at least that this is what we hope," Abu Juyyab said through an interpreter. Since January, he and 17 friends have called Americans randomly via the Internet before each primary.

The young Palestinians' active support of an American candidate does raise legal questions. Federal Election Law "prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly." It also prohibits campaigns from working with foreign nationals to violate that ban or solicit funds or donations from them.

The Obama campaign told FOXNews.com that it has had no coordination with the Gaza supporters, and Bradley Smith, a law professor at Capital University Law School in Ohio and former Federal Elections Commission chairman, said it appeared from the report that the Gaza City residents were volunteering their personal time, and not on behalf of a paid or coordinated campaign.

The only money expended might be the charges incurred to make the calls from the Internet café where the group meets, Smith said. That may be where a violation could have occurred, but Smith doubts that anything could ultimately be done to stop it.

"Can you rope these people in?" he asked. "If they're outside the jurisdiction, and it would be hard to find them, I don't know."

Cleta Mitchell, an election law expert who works with Republican clients, said the money spent at an Internet café to make these calls definitely qualifies as a contribution and that the Obama team needs to track them down and "tell them to stop."

In 2004, the Guardian newspaper in Great Britain urged its readers to engage in a massive letter-writing campaign to encourage voters in the swing state of Ohio to vote for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. No formal inquiry was made at the time into whether the newspaper had broken the law (the cost of stamps might have been considered a contribution), but the incident nonetheless created a huge backlash.

"There is a difference between educating and influencing," said Republicans Abroad UK Chairwoman Miki Bowman, talking about the Guardian's 2004 campaign. "As a foreigner, as a non-citizen, you cross a serious line. What the Guardian did was completely inappropriate."

Meanwhile, Bowman said Republicans Abroad in the UK has increased its membership about 20 percent in the last year alone. "It's an example of the excitement over what's going on."

Republicans abroad say they aren't surprised by the international attention for Obama. They think it's for many of the same reasons he has done so well among Democrats stateside.

"I think they hear him speak and he is a very good speaker. He has a gift at doing that. McCain is not setting the world on fire with his oration," said Bowman.

Cynthia Dillon, executive director of Republicans Abroad, which has 48 chapters worldwide, blames the media coverage of Obama for his international popularity. "He's a (media) creation. But there is no substance. In my view, it's like he is a package, a model," where he is all things to all people. "We'll see come November."