Poverty, debt and war: Can Obama rescue America?
Today Barack Obama becomes the most powerful man in the world when he is sworn in as American president.
When Barack Obama moves into the White House today, he'll be taking over the reins of a country in turmoil.
More Americans are now living in poverty and battling debt than when George Bush came to power eight years ago and the country is in the grip of an economic meltdown.
Big businesses are going bust, the banks and manufacturers are looking for bail-outs and the country's soldiers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Economically and environmentally, the rest of the world is looking to Obama for change and eagerly waiting to see what he plans to do both domestically and farther afield.
The 47-year-old will have many challenges to face, but the excitement surrounding today's inauguration shows just how keenly people in America, and around the globe, feel about his presidency.
Obama will also be America's first black president – a fact heralded as a major turning point in the history of a country that was still fighting racial prejudice and segregation in the 1960s.
We spoke to Americans living locally, as well as environmental and race campaigners, to hear what they hope Obama, main picture right, will do as president.
Dr Andrew Ryder teaches geopolitics at the University of Portsmouth and has lived in this country for 23 years, after moving here from his native New York.
I think it's an event of such historic importance because he is a minority president.
The Civil Rights Act was signed in 1964 – it's only 44 years ago that it happened, but in some southern states black people couldn't travel on the front of the buses and had to use separate toilet facilities. For black people, America has really come quite a way in this sense.
There's still a lot of social exclusion within the black community. Obama is now a black role model, so I think it's important because it says a lot about America as a country that's able to change itself.
I don't want to say Obama won't bring change, because I think he will, but it's going to take a while to sort things out.
George Bush believed that the government could be run as a business. Most of his advisors and secretaries came from the business sector. Obama seems to be a big believer in getting back to politics.
The world breathed a collective sigh of relief when he was elected president – it was like Bush was holding everyone to ransom.
Emsworth inventor Roark McMaster, 46, moved to this country from Indiana 16 years ago.
I think Obama brings a lot of hope. He looks like he was born for this job and I think he's going to be a good leader.
He has a difficult job to do at home now with the economic situation, but I think he's going to make big changes.
Part of the reason why we have this financial situation is due to a lack of integrity and I think he will make significant inroads into getting people to be honest.
It's been a difficult eight years for America. The president is supposed to be the leader, but I'm sure the world will take President Obama a bit more seriously.
The Middle East is an important issue and I think Hillary Clinton has probably been preparing for that for months. People take her seriously and she isn't a lightweight. I think it took a bit of guts and courage to make her secretary of state.
Environmental campaigner Tim Dawes is the chairman of the south east Hampshire Green party and lives in Havant.
I do think people should be more positive about what comes next, more so now than they were when Bush was re-elected four years ago.
I don't think we'll go on with an invasion in Iran now and I think we may even see progress in the Middle East.
I think in terms of the environmental side, we're looking for a major change. I think the most important change would be protecting the rainforests and supporting the indigenous people.
I don't expect change to suddenly flow, like it has in Scandinavian countries – which are far more progressive in their approach to things like environmental policy – because the strength of the conservative business lobbyists is still very strong, but I do expect to see change.
It is a positive thing but it's not just about US policy, it's about the reach of the US, particularly to the third world and with the protection of the rainforests and the indigenous populations which we have.'
History teacher Lisa Greenfield has lived in the UK since 1984, but is originally from California. She lives in Sarisbury Green and works at Brookfield Community School.
I'm a Democrat and it's been a long time since Bill Clinton was president – it feels like the longest eight years of my life.
I'm ecstatic about Obama. It sounds crazy but he's in a win-win position because things are so bad that whatever he does to help has got to be better.
I think he's going to work more across the board and reach out to the Republicans, the Independents and the Democrats. I think he's going to be his own man and be a bit of a maverick.
I want to see what he does with Israel and what's happening in Gaza. It's really hard because, financially, some of the most important people in America are Jewish. If he stands with Israel then what change is there in the foreign policy? If he goes too far towards the Palestinians he's going to alienate many Americans who are Jewish. That's going to be his first test.
I think being the first African American president is a huge thing. To elect a black president shows how far America has come.
Neil Simpson, 60, from Southsea is a member of Portsmouth's Caribbean Association. He moved to the UK from Guyana, in South America, when he was 17.
I never believed in my life I would live to see a black American president. I'm impressed by the type of person he is and he comes from such diverse cultures himself. He's got an Indonesian sister, African brothers and sisters and a white American mother.
Name me one other president who's had such a diverse background.
You can't because there hasn't been one.
He appears to have more empathy with all races and cultures and I think that will help give him an understanding of the problems of the whole world.
There is still an underlying racism in America and it did really surprise me how they took him to heart.
I think his politics are more middle-of-the-road and I do hope that he lives up to his ideals.
My fear is that people will expect change immediately but that will never happen. He's taken over the presidency at a time when there's an economic downturn and various conflicts.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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