Author

Sang Hyun Lee received his Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently a Director of the Security Studies Program at the Sejong Institute. He served as a research fellow at the Korean Institute for International Studies and the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis. His primary research interests are international politics, Korea-U.S. relations, and North Korean issues, and his recent works include: National Security Strategy of the Lee Myung-bak Government: The Vision of ‘Global Korea’ and its Challenges (2009); The Obama Administration’s Perspective on Foreign Security and North Korea Policy (in Korean, 2009); Diplomatic Environment and the Korean Peninsula (in Korean, co-written, 2009); ROK-U.S. Alliance in Transition: 2003~2008 (in Korean, co-written, 2009), East Asian Community: Myth and Reality (in Korean, co-written, 2008); Information Order and East Asia: Transformation of World Politics in the Information Age (in Korean, co-written, 2008); North Korean Issue and Peace System of the Korean Peninsula (in Korean, co-written, 2008); and Transformation of ROK-U.S. Alliance (in Korean, co-written, 2008).

Abstract

From its inception, the Obama administration has confronted a new security environment of the 21st century. Most strikingly, the United States is witnessing its relative decline of power, whereas newly emerging states, such as China and India, are rapidly rising in the international community. The remarkable growth of global economy and globalization invited new diversified actors to assume more influence in decision-making process in political, economic, and military realms at the global level. With the emergence of transnational and multifaceted challenges such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and environment, which are shaping a new threat perception in the 21st century, the Obama administration now faces the world where the United States can no longer act unilaterally to pursue global peace and stability. Accordingly, the new administration places a high priority on dialogues, multilateral cooperation in security issues, and global partnerships in responding to these transnational threats, deviating from the Bush administration’s unilateral approaches in foreign policy. In the changed security environment of the 21st century marked by the rise of the emerging powers and transitional challenges, the Obama administration is trying to restore American global leadership by successfully addressing its foreign policy agendas, which include 1) economic diplomacy in combating the global financial crisis, 2) global war on terrorism with regional focuses on Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, 3) nonproliferation of nuclear weapons with the logic of zero, 4) reassessment of alliance policy to strengthen the existing ties as well as to generate new strategic partnerships, particularly with a rising China, 5) energy and environmental concerns, with particular attention to global climate change, and 6) international development.

The full text in Korean is available here