Safeguarding Primacy: Redefining the American Global Leadership during Barack Obama’s Presidency

The purpose of this article is to outline a twofold change in the American global leadership concept that has been taking place under the Obama Administration: the redefinition of its purpose and of its character. The purpose-transformation has been illustrated in a case study of the American “pivot to Asia”. It means, basically, that the American world leadership, defined as the political and economic order developed by the USA, and grounded in its power and unique position after the Second World War (and/or the Cold War), has turned during Obama’s administration into a instrument aiming at retaining the American privileged position that does not emanate directly from the U.S. power anymore. The charactertransformation implies that the role conceptions of the American world leadership, have been modified or, as in one case, abandoned, in order to adjust to new circumstances. As a result, the US leadership has become more inclusive, international-institutions-centered, and reluctant to military engagement.