Michael Gerson writes that, "like Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., Obama positioned himself as a conservative revolutionary" in his inaugural speech.
In this Vancouver Sun op-ed, Edward Alden says that while gridlock has been the norm in Washington, there are precedents for outbursts of creative and energetic government. Still, Americans' expectations for Obama face long odds.
Authors: Charles A. Kupchan, Federiga Bindi and Justin Vaisse International Herald Tribune
Federiga Bindi, Charles Kupchan, Justin Vaisse write that, "Sarkozy offered a brand of EU leadership that works, reviving the Union...the Obama administration should recognize this for what it is - the stirrings of the more capable and collective European partner that the United States so sorely needs."
Leslie H. Gelb writes, "our diplomatic service no longer possesses the talent of the last fifty years. So Hillary has to look outside to the former great diplomats."
Robert McMahon writes, "U.S. democracy promotion policy appears to be at a crossroads, with big divisions within both parties over how much of it we should be doing."
In this Financial Times op-ed, Jagdish Bhagwati warns that Mr. Obama, who has properly denounced unilateralism, should not undermine the respect for the rule of law that the WTO embodies at the multilateral level.
Peter Beinart writes, "Obama's opening act looks a lot more like Bush's than like Bill Clinton's, even though Clintonites populate his administration."
Seven years after the 9/11 attacks, Canada is still trying to cope with the new border regime that has been an enduring legacy of the terrorist attacks. In this Ottawa Citizen article, Edward Alden urges President-elect Obama to begin rebuilding trust on border issues with Canada.
Richard Haass and Martin Indyk argue that Obama "can capitalise on new opportunities rather than be overwhelmed by old realities in this critical and troubled region."
In this Washington Post op-ed, Amity Shlaes writes that huge public works projects, such as the one put forward by President-elect Obama, often fail to revive national economies, as evidenced by the example of Japan in the 1990s.
Richard Haass writes that "Americans must accept China's rise. There's no guarantee we could prevent it anyway, and the attempt would only worsen the rivalry."