OBAMA REELECTION CONFIRMS SHIFT IN US STRATEGIC CULTURE (IRSEM)

The reelection of Barack Obama confirms a shift in American strategic culture and has served to highlight deep and meaningful demographic and ideological transformations in the American electorate and in its foreign political preferences.

CAPITAL BRIEF - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CLOSING ARGUMENTS

Election Day is almost here! The latest Capital Brief looks at the state of the race heading into the vote and poses just a few of the many questions for the aftermath of November 6.

Click below to read the Brief.

24 HOURS IN AMERICA (FRANCE CULTURE)

Click here to listen to an interview this morning on France Culture (in French)

FIVE STRATEGIES FOR OBAMA TO BREAK AWAY FROM ROMNEY (L'EXPRESS)

On the day of the second debate and the last push toward Election Day, stop by L'Express to read an op-ed I wrote outlining five strategies for Obama to pull ahead of Romney.

-Nail the final two debates
-Maintain a lazer-like focus on the economy
-Focus on the big picture electoral issues
-Take the high road and let the surrogates do the rest
-Keep a strong push to turn out the Democratic base

Click here to read the article via L'Express (French)

PORTRAIT OF A NEW AMERICA (NOUVELLE REVUE GEOPOLITIQUE)

In the most recent issue of Nouvelle Revue Géopolitique, I contributed an article, "Portrait d'une Nouvelle Amérique."

The text focuses first on how Americans view the role of the US in the world, their evolving foreign policy preferences, and the impact of the economic crisis on public perception of America's responsibility and ability to pursue its foreign ambitions.

It goes on to decrypt Obama's and Romney's foreign policy visions, how they correspond to public opinion concerning external action (China, Iran, Israel, interventionism, among others), and the global leadership framework into which they most closely fit.

Finally, the article looks at how the emerging Millennial/Boomer generational divide reproduces itself within American public opinion on foreign and defense policy orientations; as well as how the arrival of the Millennials - accompanied by the profound sociological and intellectual shift they represent - will compel new political responses from US leaders due to the very different foreign policy ambitions and approaches they espouse.

Stop by a newsstand to pick up this Special Elections issue!

CAPITAL BRIEF - POLLING OPENS DOOR TO NEW OBAMA MESSAGING

Here is the third issue of Capital Brief, from June 26, focusing on how polling trends could lead to new opportunities, orientations and messaging for Obama's reelection campaign.

Click below to read the Brief.

AMERICA'S DOMESTIC POLITICS AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD (EGEA BLOG)

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in an interview with Olivier Kempf for his EGEA blog, during which I responded to questions on America's internal and external politics ranging from - the enduring impact of America's founding values; the importance of the economy on Washington's policies; the potential consequences of internal generational shifts; the place (or not) for consensus in the American political debate; and a look at where transatlantic relations may be headed.

Please click here to read the interview (in French) on EGEA. An English translation of the interview will be published shortly on this site.

DEBATING THE 2012 ELECTION/US FOREIGN POLICY (LE GRAND DEBAT, AFRICA 1)

After a month of non-stop travel, Potusphere is back!

Yesterday, I was a guest on Radio Africa N°1's Le Grand Débat hosted by Francis Laloupo. Also participating were Jim Cohen, Paris 3; Emmanuel Dupuy, Strategy Consultant; and Pierre Toullec, President of France Friends of the GOP.

The debate was dedicated to the upcoming US elections, now a mere 6 months away. It is still a wide-open contest, with many most recent polls indicating Obama and Romney in a statistical tie, including in some key swing states.

During the 90-minute debate, we touched on a wide range of topics, both domestic and foreign - from the impact of Obama's financial bailout and health care reforms, to the ongoing central importance of the economy in this presidential race and its weight on the American people.

We highlighted the Republican primary field and assessed the brand of conservatism promoted by the all-but-official nominee Mitt Romney, while also addressing the seriousness of his candidacy...Not to forget about the discussion of the social and demographic changes afoot in the US (the emergence of the Millennial generation and its consequences on US politics and leadership).

There was also a short exchange about Obama's foreign policy. I made a few points:

• Obama presided over a drastic reduction of widespread anti-Americanism that characterized the preceding 8 years by first setting a new tone early in his administration (2009 speech in Cairo) and then successfully deploying a top foreign policy team (led by Hillary Clinton among others) to steadily rebuild the ties with foreign leaders and people. 
• The president has chosen to undertake an intelligent reorientation of American foreign policy to accompany the rise of emerging power zones while working to place the US at the epicenter of geopolitical deal- and decision-making and maintain its influence and power of persuasion throughout the world.
• The impact of some of Obama's decisions might seem ambiguous, and their results not necessarily felt over the course of one or two news cycles. He errs on the side of patience and caution (to a fault, some say), seeking to act to maintain a balance between long-term pursuits and short- and medium-term results.

To hear these points and many more (the debate begins at 9"30):

Click here to listen to the full audio (in French) at Radio Africa N°1

BOOMERS V. MILLENNIALS: TOWARDS AN AMERICAN POLITICAL REVOLUTION? (DIPLOWEB)

Please click over to Diploweb to read an article I wrote about the two emerging demographic poles - Boomers and Millennials and their potential impact on American society and politics.

By examining these two blocs, the article draws conclusions on how their diverging priorities, political stances, and composition will redraw the way Americans perceive their government and its responsibilities, choose their leaders, and view the world.

An English translation will soon be published on this website.

In the meantime, visit Diploweb for the article in French.