The Presidency of Barack Obama

Summary: The Presidency of Barack Obama

The election of Barack Obama in November 2008 was a key moment in the history of the United States. It attracted enormous popular and scholarly interest not just in America but around the world. The inspirational ideas and rhetoric of the Obama campaign generated high expectations of change. Euphoric supporters believed that his election would bring an end to the discredited, unpopular, policies of the Republican administration of George W. Bush. At the same time Obama promised to break down traditional party lines bringing together members of both major political parties, Republicans and Democrats, in support of a new bipartisan political agenda.

On the international stage the 2009 award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the new President reinforced the hope that his administration would mark the start of a more enlightened era in American foreign relations. In particular that American diplomacy would place greater emphasis on 'soft power', the use of persuasion and positive incentives to achieve U.S objectives, combined with more sensitivity to the views of others, as opposed to over-reliance on 'hard power', embodied in hard-line rhetoric, the threat of sanctions and the use of military force. Moreover, Obama's own life experience encouraged the belief that, more than any of his predecessors in the White House, he would be able to empathize with the fears and hopes of Muslim and third world nations.

In sharp contrast to such high expectations the political realities confronting the new President could hardly have been more discouraging. From the outset his administration faced unprecedented domestic and foreign policy challenges, including the worst national and international economic crisis since the 1930s and involvement in two costly unresolved foreign wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The victory of Obama notwithstanding, race remained a divisive issue in society with African Americans and other ethnic minority groups continuing to suffer acute socio-economic deprivation, high crime levels and racial prejudice.

The success or failure of the Obama administration in addressing these problems will have profound implications not just for the citizens of the United States but also for governments and peoples around the world. This project brings together scholars from a range of academic subjects, including economics, history, international relations, media, politics and social science, to analyse the challenges facing President Obama and the impact and significance of the policies advanced by his administration to meet them. The project also incorporates leading spokespersons from outside the academic community, including journalists and diplomats, and participants will be drawn from Britain, Europe and the United States to ensure that discussion takes account of a diverse range of different ideas and perspectives.

A wide variety of important issues will be discussed. Does the election of Obama as the first African American President of the United States mark the end of race as a significant factor in U.S. political life or was it the result of a unique set of circumstances? To what extent are the challenges confronting the Obama administration comparable to those experienced in the 1930s, and what lessons can be learnt from the policies introduced by the then Roosevelt administration to meet them? Will Obama be able to maintain his bipartisan philosophy given the controversial nature of his proposed domestic reforms? Do such reforms, for example the economic stimulus package, provide effective remedies to the problems that they seek to address, and what will be their long-term impact on U.S. politics and society? In international relations does the Obama administration mark a decisive change in U.S. diplomacy or simply the use of new rhetoric to pursue existing policies?

Communications and Engagement
Engagement with non-academics is well developed. The following have also agreed, in principle, to be members of the network steering group (NSG), with particular responsibility for representing the interests of non-academics:
Michael Addelman, Press Officer, University of Manchester
Kathryn Cooper, Loreto Sixth Form College, Manchester
Sarah Connolly,Counter-Terrorism, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Stephen Burman, FCO Research Analysts
Cheryl Magowan, Organizer, Liverpool Black History month.
Representatives of non-academics will join the NSG to project-manage and represent their interests. Network events are specifically targeted at non-academics, including a public/schools conference and a public photographic exhibition. The venue, Liverpool Maritime Museum, and timing, October/November 2012 to coincide with Black History month and the U.S. elections.
A network website with a discussion forum will from the start maximize wider community involvement, including teaching and learning resources and publicity for network events and publications to ensure maximum accessibility.
Addelman will have particular responsibility for developing and maintaining media relations.
Collaborations will be managed by the NSG. In addition to day to day e-mail communications there will be regular meetings of the group over the duration of the project. The network will also draw on the experience and expertise of individual core network and steering group members. The project will develop and widen existing relationships with Liverpool Black History Month, the Maritime Museum and schools. It also seeks to create new links with the FCO, media and non-governmental organizations. The development of these links is central to the continuation strategy and includes core network members contributing to future public/schools events and as speakers at programmes for journalists and FCO members.
Exploitation and Application: further outputs with potential impact will be identified through the network website and discussions of the network steering group. The PI and Co/I will ensure that these are developed during the course of the project and in the continuation strategy after the period of the grant.
Capability: Impact activity will be by a number of different network members with appropriate experience and qualifications in this field, including: A part-time network administrator with appropriate technical and organizational skills to manage the network website and assist with events'organization.
Professor Roger Shannon will lead in organizing a photographic exhibition, Obama's People, at the Museum. In addition to being a member of the Media Department at Edge Hill University he has more than twenty-five years experience in the film industry as a producer, film festival director and broadcaster. He has twice been BAFTA nominated for his work as a producer.
Kevern Verney was regional organizer for the North West Group of the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) from 2003-2008, organising a schools conference on civil rights in America at MMUniversity in June 2006 and a conference on African American history at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in October 2007.
Ms Kathryn Cooper is Head of History at Loreto College with extensive teaching experience and service as a national representative for the BAAS.
Dr Ledwidge has well established links with Black History month in Liverpool.
Other core network members will be speakers at the public/schools conference in Liverpool in November 2012.
Required resources include facilities and the travel and subsistence costs of speakers for a one day public/schools conference to be held at the Museum in Liverpool in November 2012; staffing and facilities for the photographic exhibition in November 2012; cost of part-time administrator; travel/accomm