The New Rules: Obama's Nuclear Focus at Odds with Rooseveltian Roots

President Barack Obama has successfully transformed America's strategic dialogue with the world for the better in his first year, impressing Europe -- or at least eminently sensible Norway -- enough to win a Nobel Peace Prize. In relationship after relationship, America now finds itself talking about what really matters, which in most instances means prioritizing economics above terrorism (George W. Bush's one-note presidency) and climate change (Al Gore's shrill post-vice-presidency).

For those who prefer a diet of constant fear, Obama's maddeningly calm approach is not nearly as filling as an American foreign policy forever focused on perceived existential threats. The problem with such a fear-based approach, however, is that America's strategy is inevitably interpreted by the world as constituting an attempt to prevent dark futures -- instead of enabling better ones. And since the world, as a rule, does not share our recent mania over terrorism (almost all of which happens inside their borders) and climate change (developing economies will take their development first and environmentalism later, just like we did), our deeper motives are assumed to be nefarious -- namely, the preservation of American "hegemony." ...