BIOGRAPHY

BARACK OBAMA SERVED AS THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE US FROM 2009 TO 2017. OBAMA PASSED SEVERAL
BILLS, WHICH SOUGHT TO EXTEND WELFARE SUPPORT AND HELP THE ECONOMY TO RECOVER FROM THE
FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS OF 2009. HIS PRIMARY LEGISLATION INCLUDED HEALTH CARE REFORM
(PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT), AND THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009.
OBAMA ALSO APPROVED A MAJOR BAILOUT OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY. IN FOREIGN POLICY, OBAMA SOUGHT
TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ, THOUGH HE COMMITTED MILITARY SUPPORT TO COMBAT THE GROWING PRESENCE OF
IS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA. OBAMA ALSO SIGNED UP TO THE 2015 PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT. DESPITE A
FRACTIOUS POLITICAL SYSTEM, OBAMA WAS NOTED FOR RETAINING A DIGNIFIED AND CALM DEMEANOUR,
SEEKING TO UNITE THE COUNTRY IN THE FACE OF DIVISIVE ISSUES. HE IS WIDELY REGARDED AS A CHARISMATIC
SPEAKER – FREQUENTLY SPEAKING ON THE IDEALS OF HOPE AND OPTIMISM.
• BARACK OBAMA WAS BORN 4 AUG 1961 IN HAWAII. HIS FATHER WAS A KENYAN INTELLECTUAL AND HIS MOTHER A WHITE
TEENAGER FROM KANSAS. WHEN BARACK WAS STILL YOUNG, HIS FATHER ABANDONED THE FAMILY AND BARACK WOULD
ONLY MEET HIS FATHER ON A FEW FUTURE OCCASIONS. AFTER A BRIEF SPELL LIVING IN INDONESIA, HE MOVED BACK TO
HAWAII WHERE HE WAS RAISED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS.
• FOR SOME YEARS, OBAMA’S NATIONALITY WAS THE SUBJECT OF INTENSE SPECULATION BY THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA, AND
FIGURES SUCH AS DONAL TRUMP SUGGESTING OBAMA WAS NOT AMERICAN. OBAMA LATER PRODUCED TWO BIRTH
CERTIFICATES TO PROVE HIS NATIONALITY.

• AFTER STUDYING LAW AT HARVARD, HE WORKED AS A CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER IN CHICAGO. IT WAS HERE IN CHICAGO THAT
HE MET HIS FUTURE WIFE, MICHELLE. THEY MARRIED IN 1992 AND HAD TWO CHILDREN.
• IN 1996, HE GAINED HIS MAJOR POLITICAL BREAKTHROUGH SERVING IN THE ILLINOIS STATE SENATE. IN 2004, HE WAS
ELECTED TO THE US SENATE WHERE HE GAINED A REPUTATION AS ONE OF RISING STARS IN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. HIS
BOOK ‘THE AUDACITY OF HOPE’ BECAME A BEST SELLER AND INCREASED HIS NATIONAL PROFILE. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE
IRAQ WAR, HIS REPUTATION WAS ENHANCED BY HIS PREVIOUS OPPOSITION TO THE WAR.
US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TAKING
THE OATH OF OFFICE IN 2009.

“Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of

uncertainty, the audacity of hope: In the end, that is God’s
greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation, a belief in
things not seen, a belief that there are better days
ahead.”
FAMOUS SPEECH
“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based
on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders
around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their
society’s ills on the West – know that your people will
judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To
those who cling to power through corruption and deceit
and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the
wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you
are willing to unclench your fist.”
POLITICAL PROJECT
• COMPARED TO OTHER AMERICAN POLITICAL FIGURES, HE IS PERCEIVED AS LESS ACCOMMODATING TO
ISRAEL AND MORE SYMPATHETIC TO THE PALESTINIAN POSITION. IN 2011, THE US WAS THE ONLY
COUNTRY TO VETO A SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION CONDEMNING ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS.
HOWEVER, ONE OF HIS LAST ACTS AS PRESIDENT IN DEC 2016 WAS FOR THE US TO ABSTAIN ON A
SIMILAR MOTION CONDEMNING ISRAELI SETTLEMENT BUILDING.
• A YEAR INTO HIS PRESIDENCY, HE WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE (2009) FOR HIS PROMISE TO
PROMOTE WORLD PEACE. MANY THOUGHT THIS SOMEWHAT PREMATURE FOR OCCURRING AT THE START
OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
• IN 2010, HE SIGNED WITH RUSSIA THE NEW START (STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATY) WHICH INCLUDED
A REDUCTION IN NUCLEAR ARMS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES; THOUGH IN 2015, RELATIONS BETWEEN THE
TWO COUNTRIES SOURED AFTER THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF THE UKRAINE CAUSED OBAMA TO INITIATE
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA.
• IN 2011, HE ORDERED THE ASSASSINATION OF OSAMA BIN LADEN – THE PERSON BLAMED FOR 9/11 AND A
TARGET WHO HAD EVADED THE ADMINISTRATION OF GEORGE W BUSH. OBAMA PLEDGED TO END AMERICAN
TROOPS INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ AND BY 2011 COULD ANNOUNCE ALL TROOPS WOULD BE LEAVING IRAQ.
TROOPS HAVE REMAINED IN AFGHANISTAN.
• IN 2014, OBAMA BEGAN A PROCESS TO NORMALISE RELATIONSHIP WITH CUBA AFTER NEGOTIATIONS WITH
RAUL CASTRO. IN 2016, OBAMA BECAME THE FIRST US PRESIDENT TO VISIT CUBA, SINCE 1928. ( FIDEL
CASTRO THE LONG-TIME DICTATOR OF CUBA DIED IN NOV. 2016)
• IN AN ERA OF INCREASED PARTISANSHIP, OBAMA HAS SOUGHT TO RISE ABOVE THE POLITICAL FRAY AND
PRESENT A VISION OF A UNITED AMERICA, A COUNTRY WHICH TRANSCENDS THE DIVISION OF RACE AND
POLITICS.
FAMOUS PHRASES
“IN THIS COUNTRY, WE RISE OR FALL AS ONE NATION, AS ONE
PEOPLE. LET’S RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO FALL BACK ON THE SAME
PARTISANSHIP AND PETTINESS AND IMMATURITY THAT HAS
POISONED OUR POLITICS FOR SO LONG.”
BARACK
OBAMA THE
AUDACITY OF
HOPE
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE

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