• WPR Reports (62)
• Diplomacy and Strategy (88)
• Defense and Military (88)
• Global (68)
• U.S. Foreign Policy (56)
• Middle East (49)
• North America (45)
• War and Conflict (40)
• Economics and Business (37)
• Asia (31)
• WMD (27)

• Through the Looking Glass: Iraq 2006 - 2010
• NPT Safeguards Agreement of UNSC Resolutions in Iran
• Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic
• Obama's Address on the End of the Combat Mission in Iraq
• U.S. Military Forces and Police Assistance in Stability Operations: The Least-Worst Option to Fill the U.S. Capacity Gap

• Strategic Posture Review: China
• Strategic Posture Review: Russia
• Reinventing Diplomacy
• Conflict in the 21st Century: The Rise of Hybrid Wars
• Special Report: India's Regional Relations

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."

Subscribers can also read the HTML version. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now or purchase this document on Scribd.

Want to read more?
click arrow to download the document