Popular expectations for President Obama are high, not least concerning his foreign and security policy. It is too early to draw any conclusions about how the new administration will handle various foreign policy questions, and how much Obama’s actions will differ from those of his predecessor. The main intention of this study is to explore the new president’s foreign policy thinking, to find the general approach he is likely to adopt and to discuss the potential for change. The study begins with an evaluation of the international and domestic conditions of US foreign policy and a presentation of the main elements of George W. Bush’s foreign policy. It then moves on to an extensive description of the foreign policy arguments made by Obama during his presidential campaign and actions taken during his first weeks in office. This study will argue that it is highly probable that Obama’s foreign and security policy will be formed upon principles of realism and liberal institutionalism combined, and that this opens up for both major departure from and continuation of the Bush doctrine
