At Last The Difficulties Begin

What was expressed by a close associate of Leon Blum when he arrived in power in 1936 applies – oh, how much! – to Barack Obama crossing the threshold of the White House.

The immense hope raised across the world by the long and triumphal journey of the Illinois senator to Washington will finally lead to action after a long, too long, transition.

One man alone can change the destiny of the world.

That at least is what the vast majority of Americans and dozens and dozens of millions of men and women across the world want to believe, seized by a frenetic, sympathetic but naive “Obamania.”

The Americans elected Obama to avert the crisis, boost the economy, defeat unemployment, safeguard their housing, protect their retirement, improve their health insurance, defend their environment; in brief, prevent the economic decline of the United States and the collapse of the world economy.

This will be the first and absolute priority of the new president, who hopes to create four million jobs by injecting close to one trillion dollars into the economy, principally in the form of public investments and tax cuts for businesses and the majority of households.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, elected in 1932, at the height of the world depression, also launched an enormous recovery plan. But the New Deal did not produce an immediate, miraculous effect.

It was even necessary to wait for American engagement in the Second World War for the economy to work at full capacity.

The 44th president, Obama, is in every respect very different from the 32nd, Roosevelt. But the immense difference for America is that today’s economy has become global. Globalization has made all regions and all national economies interact. And therefore, the president of the richest nation in the world, whatever the power of his levers of command, must accept the idea of coordinating his action with the other major actors of the economy: China and the emerging countries, Russia, Brazil, India at the head, but also the petromonarchies, who possess the oil and gas, and of course Europe, whose gross domestic product is greater than that of the United States.

The reality of a multipolar world that escaped George Bush and his advisors, blinded for too long by the “axis of evil,” will be imposed on the new president.

Barack Obama would be well inspired to take into account this new world, agreeing to a redefinition of the rules of the international economy in connection with all global actors.

But there is another wish, at the dawn of this presidency. That President Obama, confronted with the disarray of the planet – the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran, the Caucasus – and with the evils of the time – terrorism, Islamism, fanaticisms of any loyalty – that Barack Obama will not look to impose purely American solutions. That he will accept all of the consequences of multilateralism. And firstly the fact that America must have allies and not vassals, partners and not accomplices.

So if, as the new president said with conviction, “America is the friend of all nations and every man, woman, and child who is looking for a future of peace and dignity,” then the hope that rose up yesterday on the threshold of the White House will lead to a little less disorder and a little more justice.

“Yes we can!” Once again, may Barack Obama be required to give himself the means to uphold his promises.