The hope for a real change in American foreign policy is a fragile one:
Finally, a German sitting in the back of the room lent a note of cynicism to the discussion. "I think we Europeans are going to be very disappointed by Obama," he said. "American foreign policy will continue to alienate Europeans, no matter who is president." Most of the Americans in the room concurred; Mr. Obama has sounded quite hawkish on using force in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The perception of change, at least in foreign policy, is probably superficial.