Revitalizing the United Nations and Multilateral Cooperation: The Obama Administration’s Progress

President Barack Obama came into office with a plan to reposition the United States internationally, to revitalize multilateral institutions for the 21st century and to deepen cooperation, including with new centers of influence. Over the last two years, the world has faced numerous international challenges from the global financial crisis to threats posed by the governments of Iran and North Korea and the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. How has the administration sought to bring about a new era of cooperation? How have key emerging powers, such as Brazil, reacted and what is left to do?

On February 1, the Managing Global Insecurity Project at Brookings (MGI) hosted a discussion of the Obama administration’s progress to date, plans for the future and the attitudes of key partners among the emerging powers. Esther Brimmer, assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, delivered keynote remarks. U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. and Brookings Senior Fellow and MGI Director Bruce Jones also joined the discussion.

Senior Fellow Ted Piccone, deputy director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, the panelists took audience questions.