Obama’s belief in American values isn’t entirely rhetorical; he will sometimes place ideals above interests. then again it is always summed up and comes down to for Obama, relations between countries. Then again back during the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa seem to have transformed President Obama from a realist into an idealist. Obama started out emphasising realism in reaction to the idealist excesses of the Bush administration. n his first two years in office, Obama seemed to want to lead an America, that, in the famous words of John Quincy Adams, “does not go in search of monsters to destroy”. Obama’s initial response to the protests in North Africa seemed to confirm his realism. What is remarkable about this change