With H.E. President Enrique Peña Nieto from Mexico
With H.E. Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt from Denmark
President Obama's address before the 69th United Nations General Assembly:
"We are here because we gain more from opposition than conquest. Recently Russia's actions in the war resulted in a conflict that has killed thousands. This is a war in which might has made right. This is a war in which nation's borders can be redrawn by another. In America we believe that right makes might. We invite others to join us on the right side of history. We support the freedom of nations to make their own decisions: nations committed to solving conflict through peace and international law. If Russia takes that path, we will lift our sanctions and walk with Russia. That's what the US has done in reducing its nuclear stock piles. This speaks to a central question of our mutual aid: whether we will stand together or not. I am committed to stand with you today.
As we speak, America's troops are helping stop the spread of Ebola. It's easy to see this as a distant problem until it is not. We must remain united in our nuclear efforts in pursuit of a world of peace and security without them. This will happen only if Iran stops expanding its nuclear program. Nations must be committed to solving conflict through peace and international law. We will do our part in helping developing nations. We cannot rely on a rule book built for the 20th century.
Terror is not a new weapon. It has been used throughout the centuries by groups who have failed to achieve their objectives through persuasion or discourse. They have embraced a nightmare situation killing as many innocent lives as possible. America will not base its entire foreign policy on reacting to terrorists. The U.S. won't and never will. We reject any notion of a clash of civilization. Humanity's future depends on not dividing us along a line. The danger is promoted by religiously motivated fanatics. Law is the 21st century answer to international conflict. ISIS has terrorized all across Iraq & Syria. This is children too. Religious minorities have starved to death. Human beings have been beheaded. No God condones this terror. No grievous justifies these actions. There is no reason that works with this brand of people. We will not send foreign troops to occupy foreign lands. We will train and equip forces fighting against them on the ground. It is necessary for us to necessarily and consistently reject terrorists by cutting their funding and other mediums. *No children anywhere should be raised to hate other people. It is time to eradicate war at its most fundamental source and that is the corrupting of young minds. We must remember a basic principle: Do unto thy neighbor as you would have done unto yourself. *We must declare war on war so the outcome will be peace on peace. ISIS is hiding behind a false Islam.
We need a resolution that underscores values so we're held accountable when we fall short. There's nothing new about wars over religion. It is time that religious and sectarian leaders stand up against this. Fighting in Syria has killed over 200,000 people. Iraq has gotten perilously close to plunging back into the abyss. We do see signs that this ride could be reversed. It must be followed by a broader truce. There is no other way for this madness to end.
Countries of Muslim and Arab world must focus on the extraordinary potential of their people. We come from a great tradition that comes from education, not ignorance. When young people have the tools to succeed, those societies will flourish. When women participation in politics, nations are more likely to succeed. Young people rejecting terrorism & extremism is a task for the Middle East itself. America will be a constructive partner, we will take action, and we will lift up efforts to counter terror.
America will not give up the pursuit of peace. The status quo in the West Bank is not acceptable. We wil stand up to principles that will be more just and more safe with 2 states living side by side on peace and security. We will take actions against immediate threats while pursuing long-term solutions.
*We will not shy away from the promise of this institution and its promise of civil rights. Sometimes we have failed to live up to our ideals, it's true. We take to heart the small city in Missouri where one man was killed. Yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions. What you see in America is a country that has steadily worked to address our problems: a divide that existed since the beginning of its nation. We fight for our ideals & are willing to criticize ourselves when we fall short. We insist on free press & address our differences in the open space of democracy. We change our communities and countries for the better. I believe this promise can help win the war. We look to the eyes of youg people around the world. *“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” -Eleanor Roosevelt. Young people are moving forward, hungry for a better world. People are learning to resort to each other. People look to us here as they are trying to better their lives. The U.S. won't be distracted by what it has to do."
*We will not shy away from the promise of this institution and its promise of civil rights. Sometimes we have failed to live up to our ideals, it's true. We take to heart the small city in Missouri where one man was killed. Yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions. What you see in America is a country that has steadily worked to address our problems: a divide that existed since the beginning of its nation. We fight for our ideals & are willing to criticize ourselves when we fall short. We insist on free press & address our differences in the open space of democracy. We change our communities and countries for the better. I believe this promise can help win the war. We look to the eyes of youg people around the world. *“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” -Eleanor Roosevelt. Young people are moving forward, hungry for a better world. People are learning to resort to each other. People look to us here as they are trying to better their lives. The U.S. won't be distracted by what it has to do."
