Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

Eduardo Serra Rexach
mitigation measure she considers essential: carbon capture and storage,
a measure already supported by the European Commission. All in all the
authors advocate the joint use of adaptation and mitigation measures
which, they hold, can be complementary. They finally criticise the poor
results of the Copenhagen Conference which ended up as merely a minimum
agreement, although it was signed by the two biggest contaminators,
China and the United States.
Yolanda Castro and her collaborators explain in a clear, concise and
above all realistic manner what climate change is and what its implications
are. Avoiding either alarmism or irresponsibility, they advocate a series of
realistic and pragmatic measures which, if adopted as soon as possible,
will benefit the whole of humankind.
III
The third chapter, written by Professor Florentino Portero, provides a
more general vision of the strategic landscape throughout the year, discussing
the unknown quantity of the new American administration, specifically
President Obama.
Indeed, in Professor Portero’s view President Obama faces what we
might call, following philosopher Ortega y Gasset, a «radical alternative»:
either continue fostering and encouraging the pioneering spirit that has
brought the United States such excellent results throughout its history
and, he believes, can continue to do so in the present—and specifically in
this serious economic crisis—or opt for a Copernican turn and bring the
American way of life into line with European standards, moving it closer
to the Welfare State and giving the state a much bigger role in the economy.
The chapter begins by asking what the United States’ relative position
is in this new world order which has been taking shape since the end of
the Cold War in parallel to globalisation: the definition of Empire does
not quite seem to fit what the United States is and represents in today’s
world as, unlike the European empires in their day, it has not extended its
sovereignty to remote territories. However, it is evident that currently only
the United States has interests all over the planet and the ability to assert
them. Therefore, perhaps the term that best fits it «hyper power» as it distinguishes
it from mere powers whose sphere of influence is restricted to
a regional framework.
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