A change is gonna come...

Jonathan Clarke, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs on the changes in American Politics...

In many ways, the 2008 election represented a direct repudiation of the neo-con style of foreign policy based on military-centred, unilateralist overreaching.

At first sight, the incoming Obama administration appears to be the polar opposite of neo-conservatism.  Its instincts are multilateralist, being committed, for example, to adhering to the Kyoto Protocol and to international agreements like the Geneva Convention.  It places a high priority on diplomacy, with President-elect Obama being open to direct talks with long-ignored countries like Iran and Cuba. Defense Secretary Gates, who is remaining in office, has made it clear that he regards military intervention as the genuinely last option.  Furthermore, the financial meltdown and the drains of the Iraq and Afghan wars have chipped away at the pre-eminence of US power. It is difficult to argue today that the US enjoys a unipolar advantage.

The safest bet, therefore, is that we can bid adieu to the neo-cons and leave their role to be adjudicated by history.  They themselves argue that they form part of the mainstream of American history. It seems more likely that they will come to be seen as an aberration.

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Comments

[Rick Meigs]

Hey Mark, it is delusional to believe much will change. There will be the appearance of multilateralism and cooperation along with token gestures, but in reality the Democrats are as shady and power hungry as any other party. In our system, Congress governs, not the President. The President has no power outside of the “bully pulpit” and the veto pen (not to discount how formidable both can be). American's are still a center right people and if Congress moves much the left of this spot, they will be out of control real fast (as the Republicans found out when the move to far to the right). So, for the Democrats to stay in power, they will moderate, but not change American policy.

As for economic policy, any economist will tell you that the President has little influence. The current economic mess in America can be laid directly at the feet of Congress.

If the world wants a multilateral and cooperative America, they better pray that Obama keeps us as safe a Bush did (even though I dislike his methods). America will not stand for any more 9/11s and will demand retribution if another one occurs.