a bounded strictly pseudoconvex domain in c$^n$, n$>1$, supports a unique complete kahler-einstein metric determined by the cheng-yau solution of fefferman's monge-ampere equation. the smoothness of the solution of fefferman's equation up to the boundary is obstructed by a local cr invariant of the boundary called the obstruction density. in the case n=2 the obstruction density is especially important, in particular in describing the logarithmic singularity of the bergman kernel. for domains in c$^2$ diffeomorphic to the ball, we motivate and consider the problem of determining whether the global vanishing of this obstruction implies biholomorphic equivalence to the unit ball. (this is a strong form of the ramadanov conjecture.)