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The U.S. president, Barack Obama, was sworn for a second term Sunday. And even though the political hostilities seem to have temporarily ceased, not everything is rosy. Obama faces great challenges that will test his abilities as president.
Photo: AP
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Divided Congress - In the first place, Obama presides over a divided Congress, just as he did for much of his first term. The Republicans control the House, while the Democrats are the majority in the Senate.
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Gun control - The major theme for the Obama presidency right now is gun control. After the massacres in Newtown and Colorado, the public wants some measure of gun control.
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Assault rifles - Although Obama has signed 23 executive orders to toughen policies on arms sales, Congress will have the final say on the ban on the sale of assault rifles. Obama faces opposition from the NRA, which cites the Constitution's right to bear arms.
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Debt deal - The resounding agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff didnothing to delay the final decision until late February. what remains to be defined is cutting public spending and raising the national debt limit currently at $16.3 billion. The increased limit is a sticking point for Republicans, and they have till March 1 to resolve it.
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Unemployment - Also on the economic issue, Obama will have to continue to reduce the unemployment rate, which has remained at just over 8% during his administration. Although that's down from the 10% rate when Obama entered office, he still needs to make strides in job creation.
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Emerging markets - While analysts say the task of stabilizing the economy is more difficult due to competition from emerging markets that offer more labor at a lower cost as in the case of China.
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Immigration reform - Another challenge is the immigration reform that would give legal status to 11 million illegal immigrants residing in the country. Obama promised it, and that is why he had 70% Latino support in the election.
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Healthcare reform - Moreover, before January 2014 Obama must make health reform work in full. Reform has no Republican support and they would have sought a repeal if Mitt Romney became president. However, health care reform guarantees 30 million Americans health coverage.
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Foreign policy - Foreign policy and maintaining diplomatic relations with friendly countries is another challenge. Iran and its nuclear program was a big topic during the election. Here Obama has two challenges: to please the conservative sector of the countryand achieve a peaceful settlement amid instability in the area.
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Conflict in Syria - Another problem facing the president is the situation in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 27,000 had been killed. Obama said he supports the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and will try and work for peace.
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Withdrawl of troops from Afghanistan - Finally, although for some this is a 'pie in the sky,' Obama must fulfill his promise to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 2014.
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The U.S. president, Barack Obama, was sworn for a second term Sunday. And even though the political hostilities seem to have temporarily ceased, not everything is rosy. Obama faces great challenges that will test his abilities as president.
Photo: AP
