Perhaps one of the most important questions in the United States now is who the real Barack Obama is, and what can we expect from him from now on, as we move towards next year's presidential elections facing unrelenting opposition of the Republicans in Congress.

Many people, disillusioned with the Obama administration, insist on the little enforcement of his campaign promises and on his lack of principles. No one can speak of the achievements or failures of President Obama, however, without mentioning the factors and groups that brought him to power and which continue to influence his actions.

Perhaps the most notorious among those groups is the so-called military-industrial complex, about which General Dwight D. Eisenhower had already warned in his farewell address as president of the Unites States. Today, more than before, the military-industrial complex has a marked influence on the decisions of the U.S. president.

Similar to the nightmare that Iran was for Carter, Obama had to face the tremendous challenge posed by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although theoretically the Iraq war has ended its aftermath remains, including sectarian violence that costs the lives of tens of people weekly and has left a country still in chaos. In Afghanistan, only the total withdrawal of U.S. troops could eventually lead to a state, if not of peace, at least of less chaos and bloodshed.

Other factors, however, influence the actions of the U.S. president. To the enormous power of the military-industrial complex one must be add the power of Wall Street and that of the international financial institutions.

Among the groups of influence there is also the exclusive and secretive Bilderberg Club, whose members are politicians, government ministers, international financiers, bankers, and leaders of the most powerful media in the United States and Western Europe. This group helps define the international economic agenda and has considerable political influence.

Thus, although theoretically U.S. power is in the hands of the President, he is under the influence of the real factors of power that can be called the military-industrial-financial complex (MIFC).

These factors can, in turn, act directly and indirectly on the three branches of U.S. government. Different "lobbies" such as the pharmaceutical industry, farmers, national and multinational corporations, and groups that respond to foreign interests exert their pressure on these branches of government. This represents, therefore, a veritable "spaghetti bowl" of influences that partly explains the difficulties that President Obama faces in carrying out the government agenda that he originally proposed.

One can see how difficult it is for President Obama to eliminate government subsidies to oil companies, whose current earnings are skyrocketing, or his inability, particularly when the House of Representatives is in Republican hands, to increase taxes on the richest people in the country. As he tries to do so, Republicans in Congress threaten to eliminate or lower the most basic social benefits to the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Despite the difficult situation he inherited and the stark opposition not only from Republicans, but also from some Democratic lawmakers, President Obama has had significant achievements. These include increasing health care coverage for the majority of the population; overcoming, at least partially and temporarily, the economic crisis; signing a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, and withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Taking into account the difficult circumstances that he has to face, these results show Obama to be a pragmatic and realistic individual who prefers the incremental achievement of his policies and wants to avoid unnecessary confrontations.

Dr. Cesar Chelala is a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award.

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