Western alliances
What he said: Obama has spoken of the need to repair cracks in America's Western alliances. "America has no better partner than Europe," he told a huge summer rally in Berlin, calling on both sides of the Atlantic to jointly combat terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation and other threats.
The reality: Obama will benefit by not being George Bush, who is widely reviled in Europe. But any U.S. attempt to have the North Atlantic Treaty Organization contribute more forces in Afghanistan could meet with resistance. Sluggishness and bickering in Europe could inhibit timely, concerted diplomatic and economic action -- to keep Iran from building a nuclear bomb, for example. Closer U.S. military cooperation with some countries in Eastern Europe could antagonize Russia. Europeans worry that Obama will erect trade barriers and resist subjecting Wall Street to transatlantic oversight.
-- Henry Chu in London
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Russia
What he said: Obama has said that he wants better ties with Moscow. His criticism of the Russian invasion in August to defend separatist rebels in Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia was restrained. He advocates deep cuts in American and Russian nuclear stockpiles, arguing that they will help persuade Iran and North Korea to forgo their nuclear programs.
The reality: It's unlikely that any U.S. president can overcome an accumulation of grievances and forge completely smooth relations with Moscow. It's unclear whether Obama will continue the Bush administration's drive to expand NATO on Russia's border. But an aggressive speech Wednesday by President Dmitry Medvedev, vowing to place short-range missiles on Russia's western border, signals an intent to push back and test the new U.S. leader.
-- Megan Stack in Moscow
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China
What he said: Obama has asserted that China built its huge trade surplus with the U.S. by manipulating the value of its currency. He told an American industry group that he'd press China to focus on domestic demand for future economic growth.
The reality: Currency is only one issue affecting trade. Though U.S. pressure has led China to increase the value of its currency against the dollar over the last two years, that has put only a small dent in the trade surplus. Diplomatic pressure has less of an impact because the two economies are interdependent. China holds about $1 trillion in U.S. government bonds and related debt. China will resist sharp adjustments as the global slowdown causes factories to close and puts more of its citizens out of work.
