This paper tests how far Obama's foreign policy has broken with cold war precedent. It was widely assumed that his presidency would not only repudiate his predecessor, but transcend the 'old think' of the cold war. 'Resets' would replace geostrategic tensions. Cosmopolitanism would replace containment. Opponents would be engaged into compromise. US foreign policy would come to resemble the EU's. The paper argues that despite this rhetoric, Obama has delivered a foreign policy shadowed by the cold war. Claiming to embrace a more mobile appreciation of threats and opportunities, à la Kennedy's flexible response, Obama has, like him, found cold war diplomacy and issues unavoidable. Case studies include Russia, China, and the Middle East.
