Obama, Barack

(1961- )

   Barack Obama was elected president of the United States in November 2008 and took office in January 2009. In his first year as president, he designated his vice president, Joseph Biden, as his point man on Iraq. In December 2009, Obama persuaded the leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to accept a new election law that would give the Kurds a slightly smaller percentage of seats in Iraq's new parliament elected on 7 March 2010. In return, Obama promised that he would help broker disputes between the KRG and the Baghdad government and support a fair resolution of the Kirkuk issue. KRG leaders saw this as a historically important commitment to their future well-being. Obama also seemed to be supporting Turkey more strongly in its war against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) by advocating the capture of its leaders and branding it as a terrorist group dealing in drugs.