Barack Obama, tell us that we're special

This disconnect has a broader geopolitical context. Styling himself America's "Pacific president", Obama appears fixated on the rising stars of Asia, principally China and India, and on Russia's continuing leverage, argued Tomas Valasek in a paper for the Centre for European Reform. "The president believes the rise of emerging powers … puts new constraints on America's ability to set the global agenda. So he is courting China, Russia and other new powers to encourage them to take a greater stake in managing the global order," Valasek wrote.