A second term for any American president allows the incumbent to press reset buttons on foreign and economic policy. He can double down on what's worked or pursue a new path on past policies that have proven ineffective or politically unpopular.
But Washington's new direction is unclear. President Barack Obama will spell out a game plan in his annual State of the Union address. Until 12 February, observers are left to read the tea leaves found in the president's second inaugural address and the public statements of nominees to fill key cabinet positions in the second term, such as Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense-designate Chuck Hagel.
So far, the Obama administration signals intent to focus on domestic concerns. The economy (86 percent of the American public say it is a "top priority"), jobs (79 percent) and the budget deficit (72 percent) dominate concerns, according to a January Pew Research Center survey [1]. Immigration (39 percent) and gun control (37 percent) may be at the center of the current political debate in Washington, but the US public assigns them less priority. Nevertheless, separate surveys show strong support for passage of some kind of gun control and immigration reform.
Other than dealing with terrorism - 71 percent of the survey group labels it as a priority - international issues barely make it on to the public's radar screen. Hagel said in his confirmation hearing: "America must engage, not retreat, in the world." But 83 percent think Washington should pay more attention to issues at home. Such isolationist sentiment has increased 10 percentage points in the last decade.
Global concerns the Obama administration acknowledges as important lack significant support from the American people, even from those who reelected Obama.
It's notable that in the president's inaugural address that Iran, China and the Israeli-Palestinian troubles - looming international challenges for the United States - were not mentioned by name. The president mentioned Afghanistan, America's longest running war, obliquely: "a decade of war is now ending." This scripted applause line reflects that 60 percent of Americans want the United States out of that war-torn nation as soon as possible. Obama made no mention of whether or not he plans to accelerate the withdrawal timetable.
On Syria, Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing, "I think [Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president] is not long for remaining as the head of state in Syria." He gave no hint of deeper US engagement in the Syrian crisis.
This disinclination toward intervention reflects US public opinion, with 63 percent of Americans saying Washington has no responsibility to stop the fighting in Syria, according to another Pew Research Center poll [3]. And 65 percent oppose the United States sending arms to anti-government groups in Syria.
Moreover, this is not a partisan issue in the United States. Comparable majorities of Republicans (66 percent), Democrats (61 percent) and independents (65 percent) say the U.S. has no responsibility to get involved. Partisan groups also oppose shipping armaments to the rebels.
So any escalation of US involvement in Syria may lack popular support.
How to deal with Iran and its nuclear program is another security challenge for the administration. Kerry, during his confirmation hearing, reiterated the administration's policy hinting at some impatience: "we will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon...and the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance."
