When President Obama resumes his position in the Oval Office he faces an in-tray brimming with problems that have to be urgently tackled.
He will have little time to sit back and bask in the achievement of securing a second term in the White House as he faces problems both at home and abroad.
By far the biggest hurdle he has to overcome is to get the unemployment rate down from its current eight per cent.
With an estimated 23 million people out of work, job creation and restoring the faltering US economy will occupy the first months of his second term.
His defeated rival Mitt Romney vowed to create 12 million new jobs if he were elected.
While Mr Obama made no such promise, the onus will be on him to come up with a new plan to get more Americans back to work if he is to win over the electorate who voted Republican.
With the Latino vote proving crucial to the President's re-election he will also face the thorny issue of immigration.
Political analysts said he won more than 70 per cent of the Latino vote, the fastest demographic group in the US.
he passing of the Dream Act that allowed children of illegal immigrants to get legal status went a long way to boosting his support among the sizeable Hispanic population.
Mr Obama will now be pressed to overhaul the immigration system and seek a way to help the estimated 12 million illegals in the country secure citizenship.
The President also faces mounting problems overseas with Iran's nuclear ambitions likely to be propelled to the top of his in-tray.
Obama has pledged that he will not let Iran develop a nuclear weapon, but will be under new pressure from Israel to ensure he keeps his word.
Israel has refused to rule out a military strike to stop Iran obtaining nuclear arms while America has tried to seek a diplomatic solution with military action the last resort.
Another looming headache is what to do about Syria.
Months of brutal fighting in which more than 36,000 people, mostly civilians, have died has failed to dislodge President Bashar al-Assad.
Mr Obama's foreign policy decisions will not be helped by losing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who plans to step down early next year.
He will also lose Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, a crucial aide who has been at the forefront of the President's plans for re-building of the economy.
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
