The U.S. has for a long time been the greatest power in the world. In the last decade its hold on power started to wane, and today it is necessary to take into account the way in which different balances are developing. The old rules of the game no longer apply. The economic decline of the country in the face of the rise of the far-east, the clumsiness of the Bush administration, and the neglected social emergency have led to a point of no-return. It is time for the U.S. to recognise that it cannot claim the status of unquestioned leader of the world anymore. Nonetheless people, overwhelmed by the economic crisis, have to face too many problems in every-day life to be excessively worried about this. In November’s presidential elections, the Americans did not vote on the basis of the foreign policies proposed by the presidential candidates, but because of concerns related to the domestic reality. The word “change” was probably the most bandied about during Barack Obama’s camp ...