Barack Obama has made history by becoming the first black man to become President of the United States. Bringing with him a revived sense of optimism and confidence that he can guide the USA economy through the next turbulent couple of years. His key ambition is to make the USA government more transparent and accountable to the people of America. For the election feat accomplished he has been acclaimed the ‘Person of the Year’ by Time magazine, however once the dust settles and he takes up office at the White House in January, he will certainly have the weight of the world on his shoulders. The questions is “Can he do it?”

So what is top of his agenda?

Economy

In an interview with Time, Obama makes it clear that he has a few key areas that he is looking to tackle. He makes it clear that he doesn’t have a crystal ball and therefore cannot predict whether the economy has bottomed out yet, however he is confident that steps must be taken to get “out of the difficult hole that we have dug ourselves into”. Obama cited Sweden as an economy that went through a similar situation but acted forcefully and boldly and “within two years were back on track and were growing at a healthy rate.”

War

His next thoughts were with the military pursuits over the past few years, namely the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We are going to have to make a series of not just military but also diplomatic moves that fully enlist Pakistan as an ally in that region”. He suggests that this will reduce the tension between India and Pakistan while allowing everybody to focus on rooting out militancy.
 
Climate Change

Finally, he suggests that climate change is big on his list. “All indicators [show] that this is happening faster than even the most pessimistic scientists were estimating a couple of years ago”. It’s Obama’s job to put measures in place domestically and work with international agencies and countries to ensure the long-term sustainability of the planet.

Although the challenges are great, there is certainly a resounding faith in the USA that Obama is the right man for the job ahead.