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Abstract

Although the election of Barack Obama to the US presidency represents a landmark event in the history of that country, questions remain over its broader political significance. What is the likelihood of Obama's foreign and national security policies differing fundamentally from those of the Bush administrations Does Obama's election signal a post-racial phase in American national life What are the factors that suggest opportunities to change and expand American identities as opposed to those that limit Obama's sphere of action This article introduces the special issue and suggests that although Obama's room for manoeuvre is limited by legacies inherited from the Bush administration, Obama's own appointments to high office as well as other actions, despite the availability of alternative courses, indicate that he is not the transformational president he claimed to be. American identities, therefore, are deeply embedded and remain heavily imbued with racial, religious and imperial features.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is a pre-print of an article published in International Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Parmar, I. (2011). American power and identities in the age of Obama. International Politics, 48(2-3), pp. 153-163., is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/ip.2011.10
Publisher Keywords:	Obama; National Security Strategy; American identities
Subjects:	J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States)
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs > International Politics
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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