YouSaid · the spoken record

Barack Obama

lines on the record: 291
first: 2009-09-24
most recent: 2016-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Catastrophes like what we are seeing in Syria do not take place in countries where there is genuine democracy and respect for the universal values this institution is supposed to defend. I recognize that democracy is going to take different forms in different parts of the world. The very idea of a people governing themselves depends upon government giving expression to their unique culture, their unique history, their unique experiences. But some universal truths are self-evident. No person wants to be imprisoned for peaceful worship. No woman should ever be abused with impunity, no girl should be barred from attending school. There should be freedom to peacefully petition those in power without fear of arbitrary laws. These are not ideas of one country or one culture. They are fundamental to human progress.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We can roll back the pollution that we put in our skies and help economies lift people out of poverty without condemning our children to the ravages of an ever-warming climate. The same ingenuity that produced the Industrial Age and the Computer Age allows us to harness the potential of clean energy. No country can escape the ravages of climate change. And there is no stronger sign of leadership than putting future generations first. The United States will work with every nation that is willing to do its part so that we can come together in Paris to decisively confront this challenge. Finally, regarding our vision for the future of the Assembly, my belief in moving forward rather than backwards requires us to defend the democratic principles that allow societies to succeed. Let me start from a simple premise.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Together, we can eradicate extreme poverty and erase barriers to opportunity. But this requires a sustained commitment to our people so farmers can feed more people, so entrepreneurs can start a business without paying a bribe, so young people have the skills they need to succeed in this modern, knowledge-based economy. We can promote growth through trade that meets a higher standard, and that is what we are doing through the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a trade agreement that encompasses nearly 40 per cent of the global economy, an agreement that will open markets while protecting the rights of workers and protecting the environment that enables development to be sustained.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The commitments we have made to the Sustainable Development Goals speak to this truth. I believe that capitalism has been the greatest creator of wealth and opportunity that the world has ever known. But from big cities to rural villages around the world, we also know that prosperity is still cruelly out of reach for too many. As His Holiness Pope Francis reminds us, we are stronger when we value the least among these and see them as equal in dignity to ourselves and our sons and our daughters. We can roll back preventable disease and end the scourge of HIV/AIDS. We can stamp out pandemics that recognize no borders. That work may not be on television right now, but as we demonstrated in reversing the spread of Ebola, it can save more lives than anything else we can do.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Today we are launching new efforts to ensure that our people and our businesses, our universities and our non-governmental organizations can help as well, because in the faces of suffering families, our nation of immigrants sees itself. Of course, in the old ways of thinking, the plight of the powerless, the plight of refugees, the plight of the marginalized did not matter. They were on the periphery of the world’s concerns. Today, our concern for them is driven not just by conscience, but should also be driven by self-interest. Helping people who have been pushed to the margins of our world is not mere charity; it is a matter of collective security. The purpose of this institution is not merely to avoid conflict; it is to galvanize the collective action that makes life better on this planet.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Part of that effort must be a continued rejection by Muslims of those who distort Islam to preach intolerance and promote violence. It must also involve a rejection by non-Muslims of the ignorance that equates Islam with terrorism. This work will take time. There are no easy answers to Syria, and there are no simple answers to the changes that are taking place in much of the Middle East and North Africa. But so many families need help right now; they do not have time. That is why the United States is increasing the number of refugees whom we welcome within our borders. That is why we will continue to be the largest donor of assistance to support those refugees.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“And so Al-Assad and his allies cannot simply pacify the broad majority of a population that has been brutalized by chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing. Yes, realism dictates that compromise will be required to end the fighting and, ultimately, stamp out ISIL. But realism also requires a managed transition away from Al-Assad and to a new leader, and an inclusive Government that recognizes there must be an end to this chaos so that the Syrian people can begin to rebuild. We know that ISIL — which emerged out of the chaos of Iraq and Syria — depends on perpetual war to survive, but we also know that they gain adherents because of a poisonous ideology. Part of our job, together, is to work to reject such extremism that infects too many of our young people.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We have demonstrated over more than a decade of relentless pursuit of Al-Qaida that we will not be outlasted by extremists. While military power is necessary, it is not sufficient to resolve the situation in Syria. Lasting stability can take hold only when the people of Syria forge an agreement to live together peacefully. The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict. But we must recognize that after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, there cannot be a return to the pre-war status quo. Let us remember how this started. Al-Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing that, in turn, created the environment for the current strife.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Nowhere is our commitment to international order more tested than in Syria. When a dictator slaughters tens of thousands of his own people, that is not just a matter of one nation’s internal affairs. It breeds human suffering on an order of magnitude that affects us all. Likewise, when a terrorist group beheads captives, slaughters the innocent and enslaves women, that is not a single nation’s national security problem. It is an assault on humankind as a whole. I have said before and I will repeat: there is no room to accommodate an apocalyptic cult like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the United States makes no apologies for using our military, as part of a broad coalition, to go after them. We do so with a determination to ensure that there will never be a safe haven for terrorists who carry out these crimes.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We will help any legitimate Libyan Government as it works to bring the country together. We also have to recognize that we must work more effectively in the future, as an international community, to build capacity for States that are in distress before they collapse. That is why we should celebrate the fact that, later today, the United States will join with more than 50 countries to enlist new capabilities — infantry, intelligence, helicopters, hospitals, and tens of thousands of troops — to strengthen United Nations peacekeeping. These new capabilities can prevent mass killing and ensure that peace agreements are more than words on paper. But we have to do it together. Together, we must strengthen our collective capacity to establish security where order has broken down and to support those who seek a just and lasting peace.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Of course, around the globe, we will continue to be confronted with nations that reject these lessons of history — places where civil strife, border disputes and sectarian wars give rise to terrorist enclaves and humanitarian disasters. Where order has completely broken down, we must act, but we will be stronger when we act together. In such efforts, the United States will always do its part. We will do so mindful of the lessons of the past — not just the lessons of Iraq, but also the example of Libya, where we joined an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to prevent a slaughter. Even as we helped the Libyan people bring an end to the reign of a tyrant, our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind. We are grateful to the United Nations for its efforts to forge a unity Government.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“From Singapore to Colombia to Senegal, the facts show that nations succeed when they pursue an inclusive peace and prosperity within their borders and work cooperatively with countries beyond those borders. That path is now available to a nation such as Iran, which, as of this moment, continues to deploy violent proxies to advance its interests. Those efforts may appear to give it leverage in disputes with its neighbours, but they fuel sectarian conflict that endangers the entire region and isolates Iran from the promise of trade and commerce. The Iranian people have a proud history and are filled with extraordinary potential. But chanting “Death to America” does not create jobs or make Iran more secure. If Iran chooses a different path, that will be good for the security of the region, good for the Iranian people and good for the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“But we address those issues through diplomatic relations, increased commerce and people-to-people ties. As those contacts yield progress, I am confident that our Congress will inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place any more. Change will not come overnight to Cuba, but I am confident that openness, not coercion, will support the reforms and the better life that the Cuban people deserve, just as I believe that Cuba will find its success if it pursues cooperation with other nations. Now, if it is in the interest of major Powers to uphold international standards, that is even more true for the rest of the community of nations. Look around the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“So we will defend those principles, while encouraging China and other claimants to resolve their differences peacefully. I say this while recognizing that diplomacy is hard, the outcomes are sometimes unsatisfying and it is rarely politically popular. But I believe that leaders of large nations in particular have an obligation to take those risks, precisely because we are strong enough to protect our interests if and when diplomacy fails. I also believe that to move forward in this new era, we have to be strong enough to acknowledge when what we are doing is not working. For 50 years, the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that. We continue to have differences with the Cuban Government. We will continue to stand up for human rights.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That would be better for Ukraine, but also better for Russia and better for the world, which is why we continue to press for this crisis to be resolved in a way that allows a sovereign and democratic Ukraine to determine its future and control its territory. This is not because we want to isolate Russia — we do not — but because we want a strong Russia that is invested in working with us to strengthen the international system as a whole. Similarly, in the South China Sea, the United States makes no claim on territory there. We do not adjudicate claims. But like every nation gathered here, we have an interest in upholding the basic principles of freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce, and in resolving disputes through international law, not the law of force.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Now, within Russia, State-controlled media may describe those events as an example of a resurgent Russia — a view shared, by the way, by a number of United States politicians and commentators who have always been deeply sceptical about Russia and seem to be convinced that a new cold war is in fact upon us. And yet look at the results. The Ukrainian people are more interested than ever in aligning with Europe instead of Russia. Sanctions have led to capital flight, a contracting economy, a fallen rouble and the emigration of more educated Russians. Imagine if, instead, Russia had engaged in true diplomacy and worked with Ukraine and the international community to ensure that its interests were protected.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Consider Russia’s annexation of Crimea and further aggression in eastern Ukraine. America has few economic interests in Ukraine, and we recognize the deep and complex history between Russia and Ukraine. But we cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated. If that happens without consequence in Ukraine, it could happen to any of the nations gathered here today. That is the basis of the sanctions that the United States and our partners impose on Russia. It is not a desire to return to a cold war.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“But we also understood that the goal of sanctions was not simply to punish Iran. Our objective was to test whether Iran could change course, accept constraints and allow the world to verify that its nuclear programme would be peaceful. For two years, the United States and our partners, including Russia and China, stuck together in complex negotiations. The result is a lasting, comprehensive deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon while allowing it to access peaceful energy. If the deal is fully implemented, the prohibition on nuclear weapons is strengthened, a potential war is averted and our world is safer. That is the strength of the international system when it works the way it should. That same fidelity to international order guides our responses to other challenges around the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We must give expression to our best hopes, not our deepest fears. This institution was founded because men and women who came before us had the foresight to know that our nations are more secure when we uphold basic laws and norms and pursue a path of cooperation rather than conflict. And strong nations, above all, have a responsibility to uphold that international order. Let me give a concrete example. After I took office, I made it clear that one of the principal achievements of the United Nations — the nuclear non-proliferation regime — was endangered by Iran’s violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. On that basis, the Security Council tightened sanctions on the Iranian Government, and many nations joined us to enforce them. Together, we showed that laws and agreements mean something.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The strength of nations depends on the success of their people — their knowledge, innovation, imagination, creativity, drive and opportunity — and that, in turn, depends on individual rights, good governance and personal security. Both internal repression and foreign aggression are symptoms of a failure to provide that foundation. Politics and solidarity that depend on demonizing others, that draw on religious sectarianism, narrow tribalism or jingoism, may at times look like strength in the moment, but over time their weakness will be exposed. And history tells us that the dark forces unleashed by this type of politics surely make all of us less secure. Our world has been there before. We gain nothing from going back. Instead, I believe that we must go forward in pursuit of our ideals, not abandon them at this critical time.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The strongmen of today become the spark of revolution tomorrow. You can jail your opponents, but you cannot imprison ideas. You can try to control access to information, but you cannot turn a lie into truth. It is not a conspiracy of United States-backed non-governmental organizations that exposes corruption and raises the expectations of people around the globe — it is technology, social media and the irreducible desire of people everywhere to make their own choices about how they are governed. Indeed, I believe that in today’s world, the measure of strength is no longer defined by the control of territory. Lasting prosperity does not come solely from the ability to access and extract raw materials.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“In Iraq, the United States learned the hard lesson that even with hundreds of thousands of brave, effective troops and trillions of dollars from our Treasury, it cannot by itself impose stability on a foreign land. Unless we work with other nations under the mantle of international norms, principles and law that offers legitimacy to our efforts, we will not succeed. And unless we work together to defeat the ideas that drive the various communities in a country like Iraq into conflict, any order that our militaries can impose will be temporary. Just as force alone cannot impose order internationally, I believe in my core that repression cannot forge the social cohesion that nations need to succeed. The history of the last two decades proves that in today’s world, dictatorships are unstable.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“But I stand before the Assembly today believing in my core that we, the nations of the world, cannot return to the old ways of conflict and coercion. We cannot look backwards. We live in an integrated world, one in which we all have a stake in one another’s success. We cannot turn back those forces of integration. No nation here in the Assembly can insulate itself from the threat of terrorism, the risk of financial contagion, the flow of migrants or the danger of a warming planet. The disorder we see is not driven solely by competition between nations or by any single ideology. If we cannot work together more effectively, we will all suffer the consequences. That is true for the United States as well. No matter how powerful our military, how strong our economy, we understand the United States cannot solve the world’s problems alone.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Even as our economy is growing and our troops have largely returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, we see in our debates about America’s role in the world a notion of strength that is defined by opposition to old enemies, perceived adversaries — a rising China or resurgent Russia, a revolutionary Iran or an Islam that is incompatible with peace. We see arguments that the only strength that matters for the United States is bellicose words and shows of military force, and that cooperation and diplomacy will not work. As President of the United States, I am mindful of the dangers that we face. They cross my desk every morning. I lead the strongest military that the world has ever known, and I will never hesitate to protect my country or our allies, unilaterally and by force where necessary.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We see greater polarization and more frequent gridlock, with movements on the far right, and sometimes the left, that insist on stopping the trade that binds our fates to other nations or calling for the building of walls to keep out immigrants. Most ominously, we see the fears of ordinary people being exploited through appeals to sectarianism, tribalism, racism or anti-Semitism; appeals to a glorious past before the body politic was infected by those who look different or worship God differently — a politics of us versus them. The United States is not immune to this.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“On that basis, we see some major Powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law. We see an erosion of the democratic principles and human rights that are fundamental to this institution’s mission. Information is strictly controlled and the space for civil society restricted. We are told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder; that it is the only way to stamp out terrorism and prevent foreign meddling. In accordance with that logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar Al-Assad, who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children, because the alternative is surely worse. This increasing scepticism of our international order can also be found in the most advanced democracies.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Global capital flows have powered growth and investment, but they have also increased the risk of contagion, weakened the bargaining power of workers and accelerated inequality. How should we respond to those trends? There are those who argue that the ideals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are unachievable or out of date, a legacy of a postwar era not suited to our own. In effect, they are arguing for a return to the rules that applied for most of human history and that predate this institution — the belief that power is a zero-sum game, that might makes right, that strong States must impose their will on weaker ones, that the rights of individuals do not matter and that in a time of rapid change, order must be imposed by force.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That progress is real. It can be documented in lives saved, agreements forged, diseases conquered and mouths fed. And yet we come together today knowing that the march of human progress never travels in a straight line, that our work is far from complete and that dangerous currents risk pulling us back into a darker, more disordered world. Today we are seeing the collapse of strongmen and fragile States breeding conflict and driving innocent men, women and children across borders on an epic scale. Brutal networks of terror have stepped into the vacuum. Technologies that empower individuals are now also exploited by those who spread disinformation, suppress dissent or radicalize our youth.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Of course, there have been too many times when, collectively, we have fallen short of those ideals. Over the seven decades, terrible conflicts have claimed untold victims. But we have pressed forward, slowly, steadily, to make a system of international rules and norms that are better and stronger and more consistent. It is that international order that has underwritten unparalleled advances in human liberty and prosperity. It is that collective endeavour that has brought about diplomatic cooperation among the world’s major Powers and buttressed a global economy that has lifted more than a billion people from poverty. It is those international principles that have helped constrain bigger countries from imposing their will on smaller ones and have advanced the emergence of democracy and development and individual liberty on every continent.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Seventy years after the founding of the United Nations it is worth reflecting on what the members of this body, working together, have helped to achieve. Out of the ashes of the Second World War, having witnessed the unthinkable power of the atomic age, the United States has worked with many nations in the Assembly to prevent a third world war — by forging alliances with old adversaries; by supporting the steady emergence of strong democracies accountable to their people and not to any foreign Power; and by building an international system that imposes a cost on those who choose conflict over cooperation, an order that recognizes the dignity and equal worth of all people. That has been the work of seven decades. That is the ideal that this body has, at its best, pursued.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“And at this crossroads, I can promise the Assembly that the United States of America will not be distracted or deterred from what must be done. We are heirs to a proud legacy of freedom, and we are prepared to do what is necessary to secure that legacy for generations to come. I ask that the Assembly join us in this common mission, for today’s children and tomorrow’s.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Eleanor Roosevelt, a champion of the United Nations and America’s role in it, once asked, “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.” Around the world, young people are moving forward, hungry for a better world. Around the world, in small places, they are overcoming hatred and bigotry and sectarianism. And they are learning to respect each other, despite differences. The people of the world now look to us, here, to be as decent and dignified and courageous as they are trying to be in their daily lives.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We hold our leaders accountable and insist on a free press and an independent judiciary. We address our differences in the open space of democracy, with respect for the rule of law, with a place for people of every race and every religion and with an unyielding belief in the ability of individual men and women to change their communities and their circumstances and their countries for the better. After nearly six years as President, I believe that that promise can help light the world. I have seen a longing for positive change — for peace and for freedom and for opportunity and for an end to bigotry — in the eyes of young people whom I have met around the globe. They remind me that no matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or what God you pray to or whom you love, there is something fundamental that we all share.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In a summer marked by instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I know the world also took notice of the small American city of Ferguson, Missouri, where a young man was killed and a community was divided. So, yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions. And, like every country, we continually wrestle with how to reconcile the vast changes wrought by globalization and greater diversity with the traditions that we hold dear. But we welcome the scrutiny of the world, because what you see in America is a country that has steadily worked to address our problems, to make our union more perfect, to bridge the divides that existed at the founding of this nation. America is not the same as it was 100 years ago or 50 years ago or even a decade ago. We fight for our ideals and we are willing to criticize ourselves when we fall short.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“So long as I am President, we will stand up for the principle that Israelis, Palestinians, the region and the world will be more just and more safe with two States living side by side, in peace and security. So this is what America is prepared to do: take action against immediate threats, while pursuing a world in which the need for such action is diminished. The United States will never shy away from defending our interests, but we will also not shy away from the promise of this institution and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights — the notion that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of a better life. I realize that America’s critics will be quick to point out that at times we too have failed to live up to our ideals and that America has plenty of problems within its own borders. That is true.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Understand that the situation in Iraq and Syria and Libya should cure anybody of the illusion that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the main source of problems in the region. For far too long that has been used as an excuse to distract people from problems at home. The violence engulfing the region today has made too many Israelis ready to abandon the hard work of peace. And that is something worthy of reflection within Israel. Because let us be clear: the status quo in the West Bank and Gaza is not sustainable. We cannot afford to turn away from that effort — not when rockets are fired at innocent Israelis, or when the lives of so many Palestinian children are taken from us in Gaza.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We will neither tolerate terrorist safe havens nor act as an occupying Power. We will take action against threats to our security and our allies, while building an architecture of counter- terrorism cooperation. We will increase efforts to lift up those who counter extremist ideologies and who seek to resolve sectarian conflict. And we will expand our programmes to support entrepreneurship and civil society, education and youth, because ultimately those investments are the best antidote to violence. We recognize as well that leadership will be necessary to address the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. As bleak as the landscape appears, America will not give up on the pursuit of peace.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
““We link Iraq’s heritage to their hearts”, he said, and “give them a reason to stay”. We see it in Tunisia, where secular and Islamist parties worked together through a political process to produce a new constitution. We see it in Senegal, where civil society thrives alongside a strong democratic Government. We see it in Malaysia, where vibrant entrepreneurship is propelling a former colony into the ranks of advanced economies. And we see it in Indonesia, where what began as a violent transition has evolved into a genuine democracy. Ultimately the task of rejecting sectarianism and rejecting extremism is a generational one, and a task for the people of the Middle East themselves. No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds. But America will be a respectful and constructive partner.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“So, America will partner with those who promote that vision. Where women are full participants in a country’s politics or economy, societies are more likely to succeed. And that is why we support the participation of women in parliaments and peace processes, schools and the economy. If young people live in places where the only option is between the dictates of a State or the lure of an extremist underground, then no counterterrorism strategy can succeed. But where a genuine civil society is allowed to flourish — where people can express their views and organize peacefully for a better life — then you dramatically expand the alternatives to terror. And such positive change need not come at the expense of tradition and faith. We see that in Iraq, where a young man started a library for his peers.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I can promise the international community that America will remain engaged in the region, and we are prepared to engage in that effort. My fourth and final point is a simple one. The countries of the Arab and Muslim world must focus on the extraordinary potential of their people, especially the youth. And here I would like to speak directly to young people across the Muslim world. You come from a great tradition that stands for education, not ignorance; innovation, not destruction; the dignity of life, not murder. Those who call you away from that path are betraying that tradition, not defending it. You have demonstrated that when young people have the tools to succeed — good schools, education in math and science, an economy that nurtures creativity and entrepreneurship — then societies will flourish.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Nowhere is that more necessary than in Syria. Together with our partners, America is training and equipping the Syrian opposition to be a counterweight to the terrorists of ISIL and the brutality of the Al-Assad regime. But the only lasting solution to Syria’s civil war is political — an inclusive political transition that responds to the legitimate aspirations of all Syrian citizens, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of creed. Cynics may argue that such an outcome can never come to pass. But there is no other way for the madness in Syria to end, whether one year from now or 10. And it points to the fact that it is time for a broader negotiation in the region, in which major Powers address their differences directly, honestly and peacefully across the table from one another, rather than through gun- wielding proxies.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is time to acknowledge the destruction wrought by proxy wars and terror campaigns between Sunni and Shia across the Middle East. And it is time that political, civic and religious leaders rejected sectarian strife. So let us be clear. This is a fight that no one is winning. A brutal civil war in Syria has already killed nearly 200,000 people and has displaced millions. Iraq has come perilously close to plunging back into the abyss. The conflict has created a fertile recruiting ground for terrorists, who inevitably export such violence. The good news is that we also see signs that the tide can be reversed. We have a new, inclusive Government in Baghdad and a new Iraqi Prime Minister welcomed by his neighbours; we see Lebanese factions that reject those who try to provoke war. Such steps must be followed by a broader truce.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“But resolutions must be followed by tangible commitments, so that we are accountable when we fall short. Next year, we should all be prepared to announce the concrete steps that we have taken to counter extremist ideologies in our own countries — by getting intolerance out of schools, stopping radicalization before it spreads and promoting institutions and programmes that build new bridges of understanding. Thirdly, we must address the cycle of conflict, especially sectarian conflict, that creates the conditions that terrorists prey upon. There is nothing new about wars within religions. Christianity endured centuries of vicious sectarian conflict. Today it is violence within Muslim communities that has become the source of so much human misery.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Look at the new Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, whose purpose Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah has described as “We must declare war on war, so the outcome will be peace upon peace”. Look at the young British Muslims who have responded to terrorist propaganda by starting the #notinmyname campaign, declaring that ISIL is hiding behind a false Islam. Look at the Christian and Muslim leaders who came together in the Central African Republic to reject violence; listen to the imam there who said that, while politics may try to divide the religious in that country, religion should not be a cause of hate, war, or strife. Later today, the Security Council will adopt a resolution that underscores the responsibility of States to counter violent extremism.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Their propaganda has coerced young people to travel abroad to fight their wars and has turned students — young people full of potential — into suicide bombers. We must offer an alternative vision. That means bringing people of different faiths together. All religions have been attacked by extremists from within at some point, and all people of faith have a responsibility to lift up the value at the heart of all great religions. Do unto your neighbour as you would do — as you would have others do — unto yourself. The ideology of ISIL or Al-Qaida or Boko Haram will wilt and die if it is consistently exposed and confronted and refuted in the light of day.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is one of the tasks of all great religions to accommodate devout faith with a modern, multicultural world. No children are born hating, and no children anywhere should be educated to hate other people. There should be no further tolerance of so-called clerics who call on people to harm innocents because they are Jewish or Christian or Muslim. It is time for a new compact among the civilized peoples of this world to eradicate war at its most fundamental source, and that is the corruption of young minds by violent ideology. That means cutting off the funding that fuels such hatred. It is time to end the hypocrisy of those who accumulate wealth through the global economy and then siphon funds to those who teach children to tear it down. That means contesting the space that terrorists occupy, including the Internet and social media.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We will train and equip forces fighting those terrorists on the ground. We will work to cut off their financing and stop the flow of fighters into and out of the region. And more than 40 nations have already offered to join the coalition. Today, I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can. Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find that they are increasingly alone. For we will not succumb to threats, and we will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build, not to those who destroy. So that is an immediate challenge, the first one we must meet. The second challenge is that it is time for the world, especially Muslim communities, to explicitly, forcefully and consistently reject the ideology of organizations such as Al-Qaida and ISIL.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Bodies have been dumped into mass graves. Religious minorities have been starved to death. In the most horrific crimes imaginable, innocent human beings have been beheaded, with videos of the atrocity distributed to shock the conscience of the world. No god condones such terror. No grievance justifies such actions. There can be no reasoning or negotiation with that brand of evil. The only language understood by killers of that kind is the language of force. So the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle that network of death. In this effort, we do not act alone, nor do we intend to send United States troops to occupy foreign lands. Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities. We will use our military might to roll back ISIL in a campaign of air strikes.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“For while we have worked methodically to degrade Al-Qaida at its core and have supported a transition to a sovereign Afghan Government, extremist ideology has shifted to other places, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where a quarter of the young people have no job, where food and water could grow scarce, and where corruption is rampant and sectarian conflicts have become increasingly hard to contain. As an international community, we must meet this challenge with a focus on four areas. First, the terrorist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) must be degraded and ultimately destroyed. It has terrorized all those whom it has come across in Iraq and Syria. Mothers, sisters and daughters have been subjected to rape as a weapon of war. Innocent children have been gunned down.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“And it is no exaggeration to say that the future of humankind depends on our uniting against those who would divide us along the fault lines of tribe or sect, race or religion. But this is not simply a matter of words. Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics and the trends that fuel their recruitment. Moreover, the campaign against extremism goes beyond a narrow security challenge.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)