Much more than a conventional biography, this book follows the rise of Barack Obama and the evolution of his vision as a response to America's profound social and political developments and the potential transformation of its foreign policy in the post-Bush era. Carl Pedersen asks whether the post-racial and post-partisan United States that Obama envisions is possible, and whether his political philosophy will function as a catalyst for such change. He also tests the notion that geopolitical realities would force Obama to adjust to a less dominant role for the United States in world politics.