GMF - The German Marshall Fund of the United States - Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

GMF Paris Office Director Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer wrote a  chapter on the approach and practice of war by the Obama administration, in the recently-published book Le bilan d’Obama (Presses de Sciences Po, March 2012) edited by Vincent Michelot and Olivier Richomme. The article explores the Obama administration’s foreign policy initiatives aimed at redefining war in its multiple forms of expression: by “de-globalizing” the so-called war on terror and refocusing war efforts on Afghanistan and the fight against the Al-Qaida network; by pulling out American troops from Iraq and deemphasizing the democratization ideology; and by seeking to demilitarize U.S. foreign policy even though this might be the most difficult task to achieve. Libya is a good illustration of Obama’s reticence to engage the United States in military operations. His “post-American” posture, i.e. delegating leadership to key allies and regional partners, will prevail as the U.S. turns towards other geostrategic priorities in Asia. The question is then whether these partners are reliable in terms of capacity and interests.