The Brookings Institution has compared the performance of the Obama’s Government with past Cabinets in How We’re Doing: A Composite Index of Global and National Trends. There are some aspects that are being performed worse, while others offer a good face. However, we should not forget that current President is managing an unprecedented crisis. And also he has to assume the bad heritage of Mr George Bush, may be the worst President of the recent history of the United States. Obama is not responsible of the errors of other leaders, but people voted him to solve them. It is not an easy task and I do not believe he is going to success. But, he is the first President of a new world, the postcrisis world and he is facing strange circumstances. Will he survive? Here there are some interesting points:

1. The military balance is complex. There is not any other superpower, but the world’s Sheriff has to compete with new players: new nuclear countries, strong poverty, uncontrollable terrorists and a decay of the US miltary forces. Examples of complexity: «During his first six months, the U.S. has suffered more combat casualties than his five predecessors at the outset of their terms. The armed services also have grown considerably in cost, eating into the post-Cold War peace dividend.” «Peace and security depends not just on common defense but on the political and economic stability of individual countries. Conversely, abject poverty is a security challenge as well as a humanitarian one».

2. Climate change is not a joke. «The concentration of greenhouse gases is creeping upward toward a level that scientists believe will cause the increase in the mean temperature of the planet to trigger a perfect storm of irreversible and catastrophic consequences unless somehow checked or countered»

3. The nightmare of the weak economy. «The fall-off in productive output, spending, and employment is the worst – by far – since the Depression. Most experts believe the unemployment rate will continue to rise for the rest 2009. Unlike previous recent downturns, virtually no region of the U.S. has avoided job losses. Nearly all American homeowners have experienced significant declines in the value of their homes. Public debt as a percentage of GDP has now exceeded even Reagan-era levels, thanks to recent years of high debt and the massive spending of the stimulus package».

4. A honeymoon with voters, at the moment. «Confronted with such ironies, dilemmas, and stresses, how does the public feel its government is doing? Remarkably, so far, so good. Obama’s first six-month job approval numbers are impressive. But he should note that several of predecessors also got the benefit of the doubt—for a while». «Obama’s ability to sustain that optimism and trust will depend on his ability to nudge the more objective indicators in the right direction».

What do you think about that? I do not watch any positive scenario in the in the horizon. Optimism will be short.