Stevia mayanja biography of barack obama

In the foreign policy arena, Obama opened up talks with Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela and set a withdrawal date for American troops in Iraq. No Americans were lost in the operation, which gathered evidence about Al-Qaeda. Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term inbeating out Republican Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan.

The midterm elections proved challenging, as Republicans gained a majority in both houses of Congress. His second term was marked by several international events. InObama came out strongly against the use of chemical weapons on civilians by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, avoiding a direct strike on Syria when al-Assad agreed to accept a Russian proposal that it relinquish its chemical weapons.

Perhaps the defining moment of his international diplomacy was his work on the Iran Nuclear Dealwhich allowed inspectors into Iran to ensure it was under the pledged limit of enriched uranium in return for lifting economic sanctions. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States. Your Profile.

Email Updates. Barack Obama. Why Was the Election of Important? Watch now. The Obama administration inherited a war in Afghanistana war in Iraqand a global " War on Terror ", all launched by Congress during the term of President Bush in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Upon taking office, Obama called for a " new beginning " in relations between the Muslim world and the United States, [ ] [ ] and he discontinued the use of the term "War on Terror" in favor of the term "Overseas Contingency Operation".

During the presidential electionObama strongly criticized the Iraq War[ ] and Obama withdrew the vast majority of US soldiers in Iraq by late On taking office, Obama announced that US combat forces would leave Iraq by Augustwith 35,—50, American soldiers remaining in Iraq as advisers and trainers, [ ] down from the roughlyAmerican soldiers in Iraq in early Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari are recording messages to their followers and plotting more terror.

The Taliban controls parts of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda has an expanding base in Pakistan that is probably no farther from their old Afghan sanctuary than a train ride from Washington to Philadelphia. And yet today, we have five times more troops in Iraq than Afghanistan. Obama increased the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan during his first term before withdrawing most military personnel in his second term.

On taking office, Obama announced that the US military presence in Afghanistan would be bolstered by 17, new troops by Summer[ ] on top of the roughly 30, soldiers already in Afghanistan at the start of Though other areas of the world remained important to American foreign policy, Obama pursued a "pivot" to East Asiafocusing the US's diplomacy and trade in the region.

On taking office, Obama called for a " reset " in relations with Russiawhich had declined following the Russo-Georgian War. US—Russia relations declined after Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency in The relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who held office for all but two months of Obama's presidency was notably icy, with many commenting on their mutual distaste for each other.

Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East to work towards a settlement of the Israeli—Palestinian conflictbut Mitchell made little progress before stepping down in During Obama's last months in office, his administration chose not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolutionwhich urged the end of Israeli settlement in the territories that Israel captured in the Six-Day War of The Obama administration argued that the stevia mayanja biography of barack obama was consistent with long-standing American opposition to the expansion of settlements, while critics of the abstention argued that it abandoned a close US ally.

Like his predecessor, Obama pursued free trade agreementsin part due to the lack of progress at the Doha negotiations in lowering trade barriers worldwide. Congressional Republicans overwhelmingly supported the agreements, while Congressional Democrats cast a mix of votes. After years of negotiations, the 12 countries reached a final agreement on the content of the TPP in October[ ] and the full text of the treaty was made public in November In Juneit was reported that the US Embassy aided Levi's, Hanes contractors in their fight against an increase in Haiti 's minimum wage.

Inthe Bush administration established the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to hold alleged " enemy combatants " in a manner that did not treat the detainees as conventional prisoners of war. The Obama administration launched a successful operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Ladenthe leader of al-Qaedaa global Sunni Islamist militant organization responsible for the September 11 attacks and several other terrorist attacks.

Meeting with his national security advisers over the course of the next six weeks, Obama rejected a plan to bomb the compound, and authorized a "surgical raid" to be conducted by United States Navy SEALs. The operation took place on May 1,resulting in the death of bin Laden and the seizure of papers and computer drives and disks from the compound.

Bush and Bill Clinton[ ] and from many countries around the world. Obama expanded the drone strike program begun by the Bush administration, and the Obama administration conducted drone strikes against targets in YemenSomaliaand, most prominently, Pakistan. Starting inin response to Obama's attempts to avoid civilian casualties, the Hellfire R9X "flying Ginsu" missile was developed.

It is usually fired from drones. It does not have an explosive warhead that causes a large area of destruction but kills by using six rotating blades that cut the target into shreds. As ofUS drone strikes had killed eight American citizens, one of whom, Anwar al-Aulaqiwas targeted. Starting in the spring of secret meetings were conducted between the United States and Cubawith the meetings taking place in the neutral locations of Canada and Vatican City.

Iran and the United States have had a poor relationship since the Iranian Revolution and the Iran hostage crisisand tensions continued during the Obama administration due to issues such as the Iranian nuclear program and Iran's alleged sponsorship of terrorism. Bush[ ] as well as the stated positions of most of Obama's rivals in the presidential campaign.

Stevia mayanja biography of barack obama

After a sudden revolution in Tunisia in[ ] protests occurred in almost every Arab state. The wave of demonstrations became known as the Arab Springand the handling of the Arab Spring played a major role in Obama's foreign policy. Libya was strongly affected by the Arab Spring. Anti-government protests broke out in BenghaziLibya, in February[ ] and the Gaddafi government responded with military force.

Obama authorized US forces to participate in international air attacks on Libyan air defenses using Tomahawk cruise missiles to establish the protective zone. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Syria was one of the states most heavily affected by the Arab Spring, and by the second half of Marchmajor anti-government protests were being held in Syria.

The Obama administration inherited several government surveillance programs from the Bush administration, and Obama attempted to strike a balance between protecting civil liberties and tracking terrorist threats, but Obama's continuation of many programs disappointed many civil libertarians. Early in his presidential campaignObama stated that lobbyists "won't find a job in my White House", but softened his stance after taking office.

Obama promised that he would run the "most transparent" administration in US history, with mixed results. The Obama administration was much more aggressive than the Bush and other previous administrations in their response to whistleblowing and leaks to the press, [ ] prompting critics to describe the Obama administration's crackdown as a "war on whistleblowers".

Others prosecuted for leaking information include Shamai Leibowitza contract linguist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation[ ] John Kiriakoua former CIA analyst, [ ] and Chelsea Manningan intelligence analyst for the US Army whose trial received wide coverage. Attacking Obama relentlessly, emphasizing the stalled economy, and enjoying the anger of the Tea Party MovementRepublicans scored a landslide in the midterm electionswinning control of the House and gaining seats in the Senate.

Boehner pledged to repeal Obamacare and cut federal spending. Obama called the elections "humbling" and a "shellacking", arguing that the defeat came because not enough Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery. On April 4,Obama announced that he would seek re-election in He did not face any significant rivals for the Democratic nomination.

His Republican opponent was Mitt Romneya former governor of Massachusetts. Romney called for lower taxes, spending cuts, an increase in defense spending, and a repeal of Obamacare even though it was based on a Massachusetts healthcare plan developed under Romney. Obama's second mid-term election turned into another wave electionas Republicans won control of the Senate and picked up several governorships.

Republican control of the Senate gave the party the power to block Obama's executive and judicial nominees. The elections took place on November 8. Obama was term-limited in due to the 22nd Amendmentthough Obama's approval ratings may have impacted his party's ability to win the race. During the eight years of Obama's presidency, the Democratic Party experienced a net loss of 1, governorships and state and federal legislative seats.

Trump and Obama frequently communicated during the transition periodand Trump stated that he sought Obama's advice regarding presidential appointments. Obama's election also provoked a reaction to his race, birthplace, and religion. As president, Obama faced numerous taunts and racial innuendos, though most overt racist comments were limited to a small fringe.

As Obama left office, historians expressed various opinions about his effectiveness as president, with many noting that subsequent events would determine his ultimate legacy. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Barack Obama: Life in Brief. Breadcrumb U. Life Before the Presidency.

Domestic Affairs. Foreign Affairs. Family Life. Impact and Legacy. Related Video. Get the latest Miller Center news Subscribe to our e-newsletter. The new law prohibited the denial of coverage based on preexisting conditions, allowed citizens under 26 years old to be insured under parental plans, provided for free health screenings for certain citizens, and expanded insurance coverage and access to medical care to millions of Americans.

In Octobera dispute over the federal budget and Republican desires to defund or derail the Affordable Care Act caused a day shutdown of the federal government. The rollout of the reforms were initially bumpy. October saw the failed launch of HealthCare. Extra technical support was brought in to work on the troubled website, which was plagued with glitches for weeks.

The health care law was also blamed for some Americans losing their existing insurance policies, despite repeated assurances from Obama that such cancellations would not occur. The legislation has faced numerous challenges in court and wound up at the U. Supreme Court three times. In the summer ofthe Supreme Court upheld part of the Act regarding health care tax subsidies.

Without these tax credits, buying medical insurance might have become too costly for millions of people. The latest Supreme Court decision about the Affordable Care Act began in when Congressional Republicans dropped the individual mandate tax penalty to zero. Texas and 17 other Republican states quickly sued to strike down the Affordable Care Act, mainly based on their opposition to its individual mandate.

A Texas federal judge ruled in favor of the suit, saying that because there was no longer a tax, the law was unconstitutional. The case was sent to an appeals court. A final ruling came in June when the U. Supreme Court voted, to uphold the Affordable Care Act on the grounds that the objecting states were not required to pay anything under the mandate provision and thus had no standing to bring the challenge to court.

As of Januarynearly On May 2, an elite team of U. There stevia mayanja biography of barack obama no American casualties, and the team was able to collect invaluable intelligence about the workings of al-Qaeda. Armed Forces. He became the first president to voice support for same-sex marriage in May As he did induring his campaign for a second presidential term, Obama focused on grassroots initiatives.

Representative Paul Ryan. On November 6,Obama won a second term as president, capturing more than 60 percent of the Electoral College. Obama officially began his second term on January 21,when U. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office. In his second inaugural address, Obama called the nation to action on such issues as climate change, health care, the federal deficit, and marriage equality.

Obama stated that the program had helped stop roughly 50 threats. However, the president suffered a significant drop in his approval ratings, to 45 percent, partially due to the revelations. In AugustObama ordered the first airstrikes against the Islamic State on targets in Syria, though the president pledged to keep combat troops out of the conflict.

Several Arab countries joined the airstrikes against the extremist group. However, U. As of Decembermore than 1, people have died, according to military officials. Outside watchdog organizations, like Airwars, estimate the number of casualties could be as many as several thousand. In SeptemberObama made diplomatic strides with Iran.

He spoke with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the phone, which marked the first direct contact between the leaders of the two countries in more than 30 years. This groundbreaking move by Obama was seen by many as a stevia mayanja biography of barack obama of thawing in the relationship between the United States and Iran. In JulyObama announced that, after lengthy negotiations, the United States and five world powers had reached an agreement with Iran.

The deal allowed inspectors entry into Iran to make sure the country kept its pledge to limit its nuclear program and enrich uranium at a much lower level than would be needed for a nuclear weapon. In return, the United States and its partners removed the tough sanctions imposed on Iran and allowed the country to ramp up sales of oil and access frozen bank accounts.

That year, Obama also traveled to India and reached a civilian nuclear agreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that opened the door to U. Elsewhere, Obama moved to reestablish diplomatic ties with Cuba in December He and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the normalizing of diplomatic relations between the countries for the first time since The policy change came after the exchange of American citizen Alan Gross and another unnamed American intelligence agent for three Cuban spies.

However, the long-standing U. Kennedyremained in effect. On March 20,Obama became the first sitting American president to visit Cuba sinceas part of his larger program to establish greater cooperation between the two countries. Just prior to the trip, on March 10,Obama met at the White House with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the first official visit by a Canadian leader in nearly 20 years.