US U-turn

In the 16 months that he has been in the White House,President Barack Obama has repeatedly affirmed that his foreign policy will be very different from that of his predecessor,George W. Bush. Not surprisingly,Obamas first comprehensive articulation of the security strategy,unveiled in Washington on Thursday,trashes Bushs two signature themes: the war on terror and a muscular approach to the pursuit of American security. Obama talks,instead,about the struggle against violent extremism. He wants to focus narrowly on the fight against the Al-Qaeda and its affiliates,rather than an expansive crusade against Islamo-fascism; privileges multilateralism,in contrast to the Bush administration which said it did not require a UN permission slip to protect the American people.

Obamas desire to promote US influence through collective security mechanisms rather than the unilateral exercise of raw power has already won him the Nobel. Whats more consequential,however,is Obamas conviction that the US must now concentrate on rebuilding at home rather than chasing real and imagined demons abroad. For the first time since the end of World War II,American security planners confront a potentially large gap between ambitious external policies and shrinking domestic resources,post financial crisis. So Obama insists our strength and influence abroad begins with the steps we take at home, and warns adversaries would like to see America sap its strength by over-extending our power.

Obamas case for a modest foreign policy is also rooted in the recognition of a radical redistribution of power internationally. He calls for greater reliance on traditional alliances with Europe and Japan,a more intensive engagement of rising powers like China and India,and a purposeful outreach to such new centres of influence as Brazil,Indonesia and South Africa. As Washington encourages America to come to terms with the limits to its power,New Delhi has the equally daunting challenge of preparing the Indian political class to cope with the emerging,multipolar,world that it has been praying for. Having seen the world for too long through the prism of American hegemony,Delhi must now learn to deal with the complexities of a world with many power centres including itself.