Can Obama meet challenges?

President Obama has been heralded as an agent of change across the globe and he confronts monumental challenges on domestic and external front as well. He has inherited a country with economy in deep recession and whose credibility has been corroded in large degree under strain of imperialist policies in pursuant to Bush's unilateralist doctrine.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Bush and his cabal of neo-conservatives have undermined democratic principles at home. In such desperate circumstances, the most important question is: How can Obama meet challenges?
24 hours after taking oath, Obama signed an executive decree invalidating legal memos issued by Bush warranting the use of coercive tactics by Central Intelligence agency. The decree further seeks the closure of secret CIA prisons on foreign soils and the shutdown of much-denounced Guantanamo prison within a period of one year.
The foremost challenge faced by Obama is to inject blood into anaemic economic arteries of the US which requires going beyond bail-out plans. At present the US government will have to increase its role in economic market aimed at addressing imbalances in natural operation of market forces and make its oversight mechanism effective. This step will place US economy on robust footing and provide Obama space to realise his health and tax-cut schemes intended to relieve the lower classes of increasing burden. Earlier the mismanagement of Bush's economic advisers coupled with excessive deregulation triggered worldwide crisis and Obama must avoid the recurrence of these follies.
The challenge to restore peace to the war-torn Middle East will test Obama's mettle to abandon the pro-Israel line adopted by all US presidents irrespective of party affiliations with little difference. Clinton left White House while making efforts to stitch a compromise deal between Israel and Palestine premised on Israel's dictated terms. In his first seven years Bush did not bother to resolve protracted Middle East conflict and his half-baked efforts during last year of his term came unstuck. If Obama continues with unpopular policy of giving Israel unstinted support for the latter's ambitious adventures, he will risk blemishing his reputation and forfeit his support among inhabitants of Muslim world at large. Obama must take every possible step to compel Israel to lift economic blockade against Gaza and dismantle settlements wedging apart West Bank and Gaza. The Nobel Peace Prize 2008 winner, Martti Ahtisaari, has called non-resolution of Palestine problem a blot on humanity's face.