Before handing the keys to the White House to Donald Trump, Barack Obama is taking a final, presidential lap around the world.
Obama started his three country trip in the birthplace of democracy, Greece. Then it’s on to Berlin to thank Chancellor Angela Merkel for her support during his term. The pair will also meet with the leaders of Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain. Afterward, Obama flies to Peru for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
In each stop, American allies, and perhaps some foes, will seek reassurance from Obama about the future under a Trump presidency.
With names like former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley floated as possible choices for Trump’s Secretary of State, there is no shortage of foreign policy speculation and suggestions.
The Case for Optimism
[O]ptimism is the most logical, sound, and defensible position to arrive at after a rigorous study of history….We do not live in a perfect world. But we live in a perfectible one. History shows that, over the long run, we collectively have made progress work.