President Obama made the strategic choice of distancing himself unequivocally from his predecessor on the international scene. The task ahead is to convince the rest of the world, including the most hostile countries, to share his vision of international affairs and forge ahead with a new foreign policy. This new ESF Working Paper follows the 32nd ESF Forum, chaired by François Heisbourg at CEPS, June 2009, under the title: Obama’s Foreign Policy: Is this change we can believe in?

Four experts: David Calleo, of the John Hopkins University, Washington, Camille Grand, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Paris, Shen Dingli, Fudan University, Shanghai and Ivan Safranchuk, State Institute of International Relations, Moscow, consider President Obama’s chances of foreign policy success.