U.S. President Barack Obama begins his biggest week yet on the world stage, facing pressure for results on an agenda of rekindling Middle East peace talks, tackling climate change and reshaping financial regulations, Reuters reported.
Obama's global starpower remains strong but doubts are emerging about what he can deliver in a week in which he will make his United Nations debut and host a financial summit.
The nuclear dispute with Iran and the Afghanistan war will be among the top issues as Obama begins three days of U.N. meetings on Tuesday. He will lay out his foreign policy vision in his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.
In the shadow of a financial meltdown that triggered fears of another Great Depression, he will lead a summit of the Group of 20 biggest economies on Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh.
Obama got a rapturous welcome overseas when he succeeded President George W. Bush eight months ago, winning plaudits for his rhetorical gifts, his multicultural background and his promise to break with Bush's unpopular go-it-alone style.
He has made major strides toward keeping his pledge to restore Washington's reputation abroad, but analysts say he needs more concrete results to show for it.
Russia and China have not agreed to new sanctions on Iran, Europe will not send significantly more troops to Afghanistan and his efforts to jump-start Middle East peace appear set to yield only a three-way meeting in New York that the White House hopes will lay a foundation to resume talks in the future.
At home, Obama's once sky-high approval ratings have tumbled in recent months amid a heated debate over his proposal to reform the healthcare system as well as doubts about his handling of the economy.