![Barack Obama, tell us that we're special Barack Obama, tell us that we're special](https://www.cer.eu/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight/public/images/spotlight/in_the_press/2011/obama_sl-1349702075.jpg?itok=6KTeLU9R)
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.