U.S. President Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of "change." Change was plainly visible throughout his first overseas trip as president. Perhaps the most compelling sign of change was not of his doing: Throughout the weeklong tour of Europe, Mr. Obama was greeted with an enthusiasm that posed a stark contrast to the reception of his predecessor and should put to rest any thoughts about the erosion of U.S. standing in the world. Go beyond the atmospherics, however, and the change is a little more difficult to discern. While Mr. Obama has promised a different foreign policy, his nation's interests and the problems he and other leaders face remain the same.

The hype surrounding Mr. Obama was evident throughout his first stop, the Group of 20 meeting in London. The president's schedule overflowed with bilateral meetings with heads of state. Mr. Obama had tete-a-tetes with his host, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, among others. His public appearances, like those of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her recent visit to Asia, were greeted by rapturous crowds.

In all those sessions, Mr. Obama sent the same message. The United States was eager to work with partners to tackle the key problems that the world faces. Speaking to the European Parliament, he explained that "I've come to Europe this week to renew our partnership, one in which America listens and learns from our friends and allies, but where our friends and allies bear their share of the burden." After meeting with Mr. Brown, he added, "I came here to put forward our ideas, but I also came here to listen, and not to lecture." Mr. Obama acknowledged the resentments that have allowed the trans-Atlantic relationship to drift. But he insisted that both sides are at fault and both need to repair the damage.