Keep calm and carry on

American voters can be fickle. This worked against the US president Barack Obama on Tuesday when a Republican, Scott Brown, was elected to a Senate seat in Massachusetts long held by the Democrats. There are now fewer than 60 Democrats in the US Senate, the number Mr Obama requires to pass much of his contentious domestic agenda. But what does this mean for the rest of the world? While it may force Mr Obama to focus more on domestic issues, he must not do so at the expense of pressing foreign-policy challenges, particularly in the Middle East. The stubbornness of Israel's Likud party on Palestine must be confronted more firmly. While Mr Obama has shown toughness on Afghanistan by increasing US troop commitments, he must also not forget that stability in Iraq remains fragile.

One year after Mr Obama entered the White House on a message of hope, he will now need to take a tougher line - both at home and abroad - to turn his promise into a reality.