Claudio Taddei

The Obama comet has entered the American and world political universe and is here to stay.  The modernizing drive of Obama cannot be stopped.  Obama is an American resource.  However – the book says – his failures, first and foremost in tackling the subject of national debt, cannot be ignored.  The author delves into the workings of American politics and covers the  events behind the scenes, particularly the political tension during the summer of 2011 surrounding the raising of the national debt limit, and the fragile fiscal agreements at the end of 2011.
 

Under Obama, America has become more European, more Social Democrat.  Whilst this was happening, the fiscal management by Obama’s government and its deficit policy, with clear evidence of its social foundation, have contributed to the political conflict that dominates the US scene and jeopardizes economic growth (1.6 million new jobs in 2011).  The book also explains how we have almost reached a political and legislative stalemate, and how, as a result, one promise of Obama’s presidency went unfullfilled, namely that the strengths of reasoning, pragmatism and reconciliation could come together to form a good government.  With conflict as a base there cannot be a renewal, founded on the moral energy and the courage of the nation, which many Americans consider necessary.  The author puts emphasis on the fact that the difficulties faced in politics are the reflection of a heterogeneous and confused society, and are a sign of American disenchantment.
 

Regarding foreign policy, the author points out that Obama has not lowered the international profile of the US.  The results of the Afghan policies are a success, as under his presidency the US has won the war in Afghanistan.  On the war the book presents fresh evidence, from the military events in the insidious Afghan provinces to the raid on Bin Laden; from the rebuilding of the Afghan state to the Pakistani double-dealing and to the historical defeat of the rally marshalled by the al-Qaeda jihad.  The winning firm action of Obama on the fight against terrorism, of which the book reveals unknown events and strategic dimensions, is also shown in the US ever increasing involvement in the Asia-Pacific region.  The book underlines the containment policy towards China, implemented by the Obama government, whilst it also indicates both the uncertainties and the distortion of the Chinese economy’s rapid development, and China’s unwillingness to take on a leadership role.  While telling of the unrest of Russia, the unmanageable Pakistani reality, or the difficult relationship of Obama with Israel, the book views as a partial failure of Obama’s foreign policy the search for an unlikely dialogue with the Iranian regime.  In general it also sees Obama’s universalism, and his tendency to support democratic values in the civil conflicts of many countries, as an overexposure of US foreign policy, even more so in a moment in which the Defence budget is undergoing severe cuts (of which a careful analysis is offered).  The author states that Obama’s vibrant rhetoric, full of ideals, does not eliminate the need for a pragmatic assessment of US’s role in the world.

A significant part of the book is dedicated to the European crisis.  The Euro is seen as a giant with clay feet, because it is a currency common to countries that have neither the same fiscal policies nor the same concept of the state.  The crisis of the Euro is told, in a vivid manner, as a story of a currency that sought order and has found the disruptive violence and disorder of the markets.  Some  clarity on the obscure reality of the markets is offered.  Evidence that the monetary union between countries having different fiscal policies is vulnerable, reveals the needs as well as the difficulties of imposing austerity that people don’t want.
 

Each page of this book is an occasion to measure the global importance and historical meaning of the events.  It is also an occasion for a stimulating trip along the roads of a turbulent and fascinating America, and of a world crossed by disconnected lights.