Despite President Barack Obama's stunning foreign policy successes, including the recent death of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the stubborn economy is casting a shadow – a factor that could prove challenging in his re-election campaign

President Obama's more relentless critics are taking every opportunity downplay the significant successes in his foreign policy initiatives, although he has accomplished in less than four years what many presidents have failed to accomplish.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were unable, for over 15 years, to capture the elusive Osama bin Laden, leader of the terrorist group al Qaeda. In the fourth year of his administration, Obama presided over a mission that located and eliminated bin Laden. A few months later, another radical terrorist leader, Anwar al-Awlaki, was also located and eliminated.

Earlier this year, the Commander-in-Chief was criticized by his Republican opponents for not seeking Congressional approval for sanctioning air-strikes against Gaddafi's government for its cruel repression against Libyan rebels. But when Obama decided against American troops leading the offensive against Libya in deference to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), he was again criticized for deserting the Libyan revolutionaries.

However, the U.S. was a pivotal member of the NATO initiatives that launched strikes against Gaddafi's government and army for months, leading to the eventual capture and elimination of Gaddafi.

Under Obama's presidency, the U.S. has avenged terrorist attacks (by Gaddafi) on Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988 that killed 259 people; al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center in February 1993 that killed six people and injured thousands, and the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. that killed some 3,000 people; and numerous other terrorist attacks on U.S. service men and women, nationals, and property across the globe.

Additionally President Obama has ended America's eight-year invasion and occupation of Iraq, ordering the return of U.S. troops still serving in that country. He is ending a war -- an unnecessary war in which almost 5,000 Americans and several thousand innocent Iraqi citizens were killed -- as promised while campaigning for the U.S. presidency.

The withdrawal of troops in Iraq that began two years ago, allowed the U.S. to provide more focus and troops to the decade-long war in Afghanistan, from which Obama has also signaled significant withdrawal of U.S. troops by 2012.

Not surprisingly, Obama is being criticized for reneging on America's commitment to establishing lasting democracy in Iraq by ending the war.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, America's departure from Iraq doesn't mean the U.S. isn't committed to the democratic future of Iraq; rather, the U.S. foreign policy in Iraq has shifted from military occupation to guiding and monitoring that nation's progress to democracy.

Obama's foreign policy success indicates, without doubt, the renewal of America's leadership role in world affairs. But, with the U.S. still reeling domestically from severe economic challenges, it cannot spend increasingly scarce resources on wars in foreign countries. The application of astute diplomatic skills is much more economical than military invasions, and must be now applied in ensuring peace and strong governments in former Arab dictatorships, and resolving potential Middle East conflicts.

In announcing the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Obama said the U.S. must now tackle its "greatest challenge as a nation," rebuilding a weak economy and creating jobs, with the "same urgency and unity that our troops brought to their fight."

President Obama's foreign policy successes are reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan's success in breaking down the physical and ideological wall between communist East Germany and democratic West Germany, and his role in dismantling the former Soviet Union. But, unlike Obama's success, Reagan's was lauded loudly and persistently, despite the economic challenges at that time.

Unlike Reagan, the pains created by unemployment and an absurd housing finance policy that aggressively imploded have overshadowed Obama's foreign policy successes.

Also, unlike Reagan who had Congress' support in implementing his 'trickle- down economics,' policy, Republicans now holding the advantage in Congress are relentlessly opposing Obama's economic and jobs proposals.

Hopefully, American voters will recognize what success Obama can achieve when he functions without the partisan obstructions which occur when he tries to implement domestic policies.