The mark of President Obama's two terms.

(Baonghean.vn) - 143 years after the United States abolished slavery, the talented young congressman Barack Hussein Obama, 47, was elected the first black president in American history. He served two terms as president without any scandals, unlike previous presidents.

1. The US emerges from the economic crisis.

Obama took office at a time when an economic crisis unprecedented since the Great Depression of the 1930s was unfolding. In January 2009, the unemployment rate in the US was 7.9%, and a few months later it climbed to 10%. Currently, the unemployment rate is only 4.7%.

2. Reaching an agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

The agreement signed in July 2015 (where Iran abandoned nuclear weapons production in exchange for the lifting of sanctions) was Obama's biggest diplomatic victory, despite Israel's anger. This agreement demonstrated a fundamental principle of his foreign policy: creating opportunities for negotiation, even with America's enemies.

3. Eliminate Bin Laden

On the night of May 1, 2011, US special forces raided Abbottabad (Pakistan) and killed terrorist leader Bin Laden. President Obama was the one who announced the good news to the world. The image of him sitting in the Situation Room monitoring the operation is a memorable moment in his presidency. (Photo: Reuters)

4. Powerlessness in the face of the Syrian conflict

The Syrian conflict began in 2011. President Obama hesitated to send ground troops to Syria because the U.S. was bogged down in Iraq. He didn't believe that providing more weapons to Syrian rebels would force President Bashar al-Assad to leave. He didn't want to launch airstrikes when the Syrian government used chemical weapons. His excessive caution drew criticism, and he ultimately had to admit his powerlessness.

6. Promoting responses to climate change

Obama played a key role in crafting the climate change agreement reached in Paris at the end of 2015. Following the failed negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009, he reached a crucial conclusion: negotiations would be fruitless unless the U.S. and China reached an agreement to reduce emissions.

7. Health insurance reform

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was passed by Congress in 2010. Since then, the number of Americans without health insurance has decreased from 16% in 2010 to 8.9% in 2016. U.S. President Barack Obama signed the law reforming the American health insurance system into law (White House, March 23, 2010).

8. Normalize relations with Cuba.

On December 17, 2014, President Obama made a historic announcement about the normalization of relations with Cuba. Fifteen months later, he visited Cuba, marking a turning point in relations between the two countries.

9. The failure regarding the Guantanamo Bay prison.

He promised to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but was unable to overcome obstacles from Congress. In early 2016, he suggested about 10 locations in the US that could accommodate Guantanamo prisoners, but to no avail.

10. Persistent ethnic tensions

As the first Black president, Obama was deeply concerned about racial inequality. However, he avoided being labeled a president of a minority group at a time when police shootings of Black people were increasingly destabilizing society. (Image: Obama breaks down in tears while speaking about victims of mass shootings.)

Peace

(Synthetic)