Obama, Barack

Obama, Barack (August 4, 1961- )

The 44th and current President of the United States of America. Barack Obama assumed office on January 20, 2009, and was elected for a second time in November, 2008. He is the first African- American in the history of the country to serve in this position. Obama completed his Bachelors at Columbia University and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining politics, he worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. As President, Obama has largely focused on education, health care, gun control, and US foreign policy. In fact, just 9 months after coming into power, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples and societies across the globe. Obama has also made efforts to reach out to the Islamic world. During his presidency, the US was engaged in six Muslim countries. Obama has written three books, namely: Dreams from my Father (2004), The Audacity of Hope (2006), and Of Thee I sing (2010).