The President and the World

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

The results are in, and Barack Obama will return for a second term as president of the United States.

But as Joe Biden might say, gird your loins: A victorious Obama faces a world of trouble, from a China determined to challenge U.S. primacy in the Pacific to an Iran that shows few signs of buckling in the face of international pressure to an Arab world still very much in the throes of upheaval and chaos. America’s adversaries are looking for any hints of weakness. And its friends and allies will be demanding leadership from a U.S. president who has been consumed with his own re-election for the past 18 months.

So what now? Foreign Policy asked 14 top analysts to peer beyond Wednesday’s headlines and examine the longer-term issues confronting the United States, from Europe’s debt morass to North Korea’s dangerous nuclear program, sagging U.S. competitiveness to worsening climate change. It’s a daunting list. Is Obama sure he wants the job?