Global Order of Great Powers

Some proponents of this view believe that the president is moving slowly but steadily toward building a somewhat more democratic global order of great powers – including emerging giants, as well as longstanding heavyweights. This would permit an increasingly cash-strapped Washington to gradually devolve some of its more costly responsibilities to other states and international institutions while retaining its “indispensable” status.

They see Obama’s championship of the G20, which he hosted at the Pittsburgh Summit in September, as the replacement for the G8 – as well as the last-minute deal he crafted in Copenhagen with China, India, Brazil and South Africa – as indicative of his vision for a new world order.

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