President and Mrs Obama are now in Europe and about to attend the G-20 and NATO summits, and they arrive as international celebrities.
At the same time, Obama faces major challenges in his dealings with the other major economies in the world, as despite his personal popularity, the United States is seen overseas as the major culprit in the international economic decline which is threatening the stability of most of those nations, as well as the poorer nations in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Obama must also deal with world leaders which include those who have made themselves controversial by their statements and actions, including those of Brazil, Italy, France, and Germany, but also includes the major challenges of nations such as the Russian Federation, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and Mexico.
The hope is that his personal popularity will translate into renewed respect for the United States and willingness of these nations, or most of them, to work cooperatively in dealing with the major crises, both economic and foreign, that the world faces in 2009.