The Obama Presidency

Thomas P.M. Barnett, Nikolas Gvosdev | World Politics Review | 2008-11-11

With the U.S. presidential election finally decided, attention has now turned to just how President-elect Barack Obama will handle American foreign policy. Two prominent foreign policy analysts examine the challenges and opportunities that await The Obama Presidency.

Obama: Wilsonian Idealist or Progressive Realist?
By Nikolas Gvosdev
How is President-elect Barack Obama planning to shape the foreign policy of his administration? Is he a Wilsonian idealist? A progressive realist? Some mix of the two? The answer remains somewhat of a mystery. He may be tempted to follow the long line of Democratic presidents who have articulated a highly idealistic view of what America should accomplish around the globe. What remains to be seen is how comfortable the Obama administration will be with "80 percent solutions," where some key objectives are met and others are not.

A Grand Strategy Agenda for the Next President
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
All American presidential doctrines, in one form or another, speak to America's desire to keep some region or the world-at-large relatively open to economic connectivity and free of stifling political-military domination by perceived "bad" actors. Given the ongoing nature of America's strategic military predicament and our current financial difficulties, any such Obama doctrine will likely seek to reconcile Bush's demand for a minimal security rule set with the targeted nations' natural desire for a clear definition of "safe harbor."

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