In the corridors of Washington, the dominant metaphor in discussions about President-elect Barack Obama’s foreign policy is baseball.

Experts muse about whether Mr Obama will swing for the fences like President George W. Bush or play small ball like President Bill Clinton. Will he look to hit a home run on climate change or just try to make contact with the ball? Should he go after the Israeli-Palestinian issue early or let the first pitch go by – and can the president of the United States ever afford to let a pitch go by?