Obama and Change

The world awaits the moment Barack Obama claims the reins of power in the White House at the beginning of the coming year. This will allow us to clearly see his political agenda in context and aside from the general statements he made in his election campaign.

The source of this anticipation is twofold. Firstly, the United States of America, with its political, military, and economic weight, has found itself the most influential country in the world in shaping world events and politics.

Secondly, the world anticipates not only knowledge of Obama’s policies but his ability to effect change in politics, in which George Bush left a legacy of destructive wars in a number of places.

To begin with, it needs to be said that Obama’s very victory records for the U.S. democratic experience a notable internal development, which should be reflected in more balanced and peaceful external politics than thse which George W. Bush and his neo-conservative backers pursued globally.

The fundamental question seemingly posed by all this is: how possible is change under Obama? Essentially, this boils down to the question of to what extent the position of president of the United States (Republican or Democrat) can effect change in relative isolation from the U.S.’s organic institutions. These institutions are those which control pivots of the economy, security and arms production, and thus control decision making.

Most studies agree that the relative power of any U.S. president to effect change is no greater than ten percent. On this basis, some caution against waging a big bet on Obama being able to effect the desired change in U.S. foreign policy.

At the same time, others deem Obama to be the man for change, on account of his political and cultural background, and his exceptional capabilities which brought him to the White House. Those people give the French experience as evidence, whereby Nicolas Sarkozy produced a great deal of change in the politics of his predecessor, Jacques Chirac.

Without a doubt, the election of Obama represents great change in U.S. domestic politics. While our gazes turn to Obama to effect that change in U.S. politics, care is taken to add that change neither begins nor stops with the president.