Samstag, 13. Oktober 2012

Weltbank Präsident Jim Yong Kim `s Visionen für die Weltbank in Umrissen...

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Freitag, 12. Oktober 2012

President Obama s speech in Coral Gables, Florida - Full Speech 10/11/2012

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Dienstag, 9. Oktober 2012

US-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Encourages Service Members to Vote FVA...

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Montag, 8. Oktober 2012

Speech from President Obama at a Campaign Event in the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles The White House



Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Nokia Theater, Los Angeles, California


6:20 P.M. PDT 

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, L.A.!  (Applause.)  Are you fired up?

AUDIENCE:  Fired up!

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you ready to go?

AUDIENCE:  Ready to go!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  Thank you, L.A.!  (Applause.)  

Thank you so much, everybody.  Everybody, thank you.  (Applause.) 

Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.  Everybody, have a seat.  Have a seat.  Now, first of all, I've got some thank-yous to make.  

I am so grateful to George Clooney. Give it up for George.  (Applause.)  

Jennifer Hudson.  (Applause.)  

Old school -- Earth, Wind and Fire.  (Applause.)  

Jon Bon Jovi.  (Applause.)  

New school -- Katy Perry.  (Applause.)  

Stevie Wonder.  (Applause.)  

And I understand Katy had some choirs out, so give it up for the choirs.  (Applause.) 

I want to thank the members of Congress who came today, and I also want to thank two of our country's outstanding mayors -- Julian Castro, and your very own Antonio Villaraigosa.  (Applause.) 

Now, I've got to admit that even though my staff all came over early to get the show, I got left behind.  (Laughter.) 

But my understanding is it was an incredible show.  (Applause.)  

These guys -- and everybody here are just incredible professionals.  They're such great friends, and they just perform flawlessly night after night.  I can't always say the same.  (Laughter and applause.)  But here's the good news, is we've got a better vision for our country.  We have a better plan for the next four years.  (Applause.)  

And that's why we're here tonight.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Love you back.  (Applause.) 

We've got some work to do.  We've got an election to win.  Everything we fought for in 2008 is on the line here in 2012.  And I need your help to finish what we started.  I need your help.  (Applause.) 

Four years ago, I told you I'd end the war in Iraq, and we did.  (Applause.)  I said I'd end the war in Afghanistan -- we are.  (Applause.) 

I said we'd focus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11, and today Osama bin Laden is no more.  (Applause.) 

Four years ago, I promised to cut taxes for middle-class families, and we have, by $3,600.  (Applause.) 

I promised to cut taxes for small business owners, and we have, 18 times.  (Applause.) 

We got every dime back that was used to rescue the banks.  We passed a law to end taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts for good.  We passed health care reform -- also known as Obamacare -- because I do care about the American people.  (Applause.)  

So your insurance companies can't jerk you around anymore, or tell you that being a women is somehow a preexisting condition.  (Applause.) 

We repealed "don't ask, don't tell" so no outstanding soldier is ever kicked out of the military because of who they love.  (Applause.) 

When Governor Romney tried to give us his business advice about the economy and said that we should "let Detroit go bankrupt," we said, no, thanks, we're not going to take that advice.  We reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on top of the world.  (Applause.) 

So three years ago, four years after that campaign that you were watching on that video, after the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, our businesses have now created more than 5 million jobs.

(Applause.)  On Friday, we found out the unemployment rate has fallen from the height of 10 percent down to 7.8 percent -- (applause) -- the lowest since I took office.  

Manufacturing is coming back to America.  Home values are on the rise. 

Now, we’re not there yet.  We’ve still got too many Americans looking for work, too many families who can’t pay the bills, too many homes underwater, too many young people graduating with too much debt.  (Applause.) 

But if there’s one thing I know, we’ve come a long way and we’ve come too far to turn back now.  (Applause.) 

The last thing we can afford right now is four years of the very same policies that led us to this crisis in the first place. I cannot allow that to happen.  I will not let it happen.  That’s why I am running for a second term for President of the United States, and that’s why I need your help.  (Applause.)

I have seen too much pain and too much struggle to let this country go through another round of top-down economics.  One of the main reasons we had this crisis in the first place is because we had big banks on Wall Street that were allowed to make big bets with other people’s money on the line.  And now, Governor Romney wants to roll back the rules so we go back to that behavior?  Not if I have anything to say about it.

One of the main reasons we went from record surpluses under Bill Clinton to record deficits under George Bush is because we put two wars and two tax cuts on a credit card.  And now, Governor Romney wants another $5 trillion in tax cuts that he can’t pay for?  Not if I’ve got anything to say about it.  (Applause.)

Obviously, the Governor knows his $5 trillion isn’t too popular, so a few weeks before this election he’s trying to pretend it doesn’t exist, because that’s a lot easier than trying to explain how he’d pay for it without asking middle-class families to pick up the tab.  The other night he ruled out asking millionaires and billionaires to pay even a dime more in taxes to help us bring down our deficit.  Not a dime.  When he was asked what he’d actually do to cut spending, he said he’d go after public television.  So for all you moms and kids out there, don’t worry, somebody is finally cracking down on Big Bird -- cracking down on him.  (Laughter.) 

Elmo has made a run for the border.

Governor Romney plans to let Wall Street run wild again, but he’s bringing the hammer down on Sesame Street.  (Laughter.) 

L.A., we can’t afford another round of tax cuts for folks who don’t need them.  We can’t afford to gut our investments in education or clean energy or research and technology.  We can’t afford to roll back regulations not just on Wall Street, but on oil companies and insurance companies.  That’s not a jobs plan.  That’s not a plan to grow our economy.  That’s not change.  It’s a relapse.  We’ve been there.  We have tried that.  We’re not going back.  (Applause.) 

We are moving forward.  That’s why I’m running again.  That’s why I need your help.  (Applause.)

See, we’ve got a different view about how we create jobs and prosperity in America.  This country doesn’t succeed when only the top are doing well.  We succeed when the middle class is getting bigger, and people have ladders of opportunity to live out their dreams.  Our economy doesn’t grow from the top down.  It grows from the middle out and the bottom up.  We don’t believe that anybody is entitled to success in this country.  But we do believe in something called opportunity.  (Applause.)  

We believe in a country where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, and everybody is getting a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same rules.  That’s the country that I believe in.  That’s the country you believe in.  (Applause.)  

That’s what I’ve been fighting for, for the last four years.  

That’s why I’m running for a second term.  We’ve got a lot more work to do to make sure that everybody is taking part.  (Applause.)

So here's what we need to do.  We’ve got a lot more to do.  I think it’s time to change our tax code so we’re not rewarding jobs -- companies that are shipping jobs overseas.  (Applause.) 

I want to reward small businesses and manufacturers who make products that are stamped with three proud words:  Made in America.  (Applause.) 

I want us to control our own energy here in America.  

After 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so by the middle of the next decade, your cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas -- and that means something here in Los Angeles. (Applause.) 

Today, the United States of America is less dependent on foreign oil than any time in the last two decades.  (Applause.)  

So now it’s time to move forward.  

My plan would cut our oil import in half, by investing in the clean energy that’s creating thousands of jobs all across America right now -- not just oil and natural gas, but wind power and solar and fuel-efficient cars and long-lasting batteries.  

And unlike my opponent, I’m not going to allow oil companies to collect another $4 billion in taxpayer-funded corporate welfare.  (Applause.)  

We’re not going to let China win the race for clean energy technology.  I want that technology developed right here in the United States, creating jobs right here in the United States, helping our environment right here in the United States.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  (Applause.) 

I want us to have the best education system in the world, make sure that Americans from every walk of life are getting the chance they need to get the skills they need to succeed.  

I would not be standing here if it weren’t for an education that I couldn’t necessarily afford on my own.  (Applause.) 

It was the gateway of opportunity for me, for Michelle, for so many of you. And now you’ve got a choice.  We could gut education to pay for Governor Romney’ $5 trillion tax break. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Don’t boo -- vote.  (Applause.) 

Or we can recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers; improve our early-childhood education system; provide job training for 2 million workers at our community colleges; work with colleges and universities to cut the growth of tuition costs.  We can meet those goals.  

We can make sure that every young person here in Los Angeles, here in California, here in the United States of America, no matter what they look like, no matter where they come from, if they’re willing to work hard, they can succeed, too.  That’s our goal.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  (Applause.) 

We'd use the money we’re saving from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay down our deficit, but also to put people back to work -- rebuilding roads and bridges and schools all across America.  

And every brave American who wears the uniform of this country should know that as long as I am Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known.  

And when our troops take off their uniform, we will serve them as well as they’ve served us -- because nobody who has fought for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  Let’s not just talk about honoring our veterans; let’s put our money where our mouth is.  That’s why I’m running for a second term.  (Applause.) 

Fifth, we need to cut the deficit, but we’ve got to do it in an intelligent way.  I’ve proposed cutting it by $4 trillion over the next 10 years, and I’ve already worked with Republicans to cut a trillion dollars of spending.  

But we can’t get this done unless we also look at the other side of the ledger.  

We don’t cut our way to prosperity.  We’ve got to ask the wealthiest among us to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000, which is the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was President -- our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and a lot of millionaires did well, too -- because when we give tax breaks to middle-income folks, to lower-income folks, they spend it.  They need to, to pay the bills, which means businesses end up with more customers, they make more profits, and that means they hire more workers.

Governor Romney said it’s fair that he pays a lower tax rate than a teacher or an auto worker that makes $50,000.  I think he’s wrong.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Don’t boo -- vote.  (Applause.) 

I refuse to ask middle-class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire’s tax cut.  (Applause.)  I refuse to ask students to pay more for college, or kick children out of Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor or elderly or disabled just to pay for tax cuts we can’t afford.  And that’s the choice that we face in this election.  That’s what this election comes down to.

Over and over again, we’re told that since government can’t do everything, it should do almost nothing.  If you can’t afford health insurance, hope you don't get sick.  If a company releases pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that's the price of progress.  If you can’t afford to start a business or go to college, just borrow money from your parents.  (Laughter.) 

That's not who we are.  That's not what this country is about.  Here in America, we believe in individual initiative and self-reliance, but we also believe there are some things we do together.  We understand America is not just about what can be done for us.  It’s about what can be done by us, together, as one nation, as one people.  (Applause.)  You understood that in 2008. It’s true even more so now in 2012. 

Because of you, we’ve made progress.  You’re the reason there's a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who gets the surgery she needs because insurance companies can’t limit her coverage.  (Applause.)  You’re the reason a factory worker who lost his job in Toledo is back on the line building the best cars in the world.  You’re the reason a student here in L.A. has help paying for her college.  (Applause.)  

The reason a veteran can go to college on the New G.I. bill. 

You’re the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she’s ever called home. (Applause.)  You’re the reason that an outstanding soldier won’t be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love.  You’re the reason why thousands of families have finally been able to say to loved ones who served us so bravely:  "Welcome home."  (Applause.)  You’re the reason.

And if you turn back now, if you buy into the cynicism that everything that we fought for somehow isn’t possible, then of course change won’t happen.  If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void -- the lobbyists and the special interests, and the folks who are writing $10 million checks to beat me, and folks who are trying to keep making it harder for you to vote, the politicians in Washington who want to control the health care choices that women are perfectly capable of making themselves.  (Applause.) 

You’ve got to make sure that your voice is heard.  Only you can make sure that those things don't happen.  Only you’ve got the power to move us forward.  

I’ve always said -- I said this back in 2008 -- that change, real change, takes time.  It takes more than one term or one President.  It takes more than one party.  (Applause.)  It can’t happen if you write off half the nation before you even take office.  (Applause.)   

Back in 2008 -- everybody always remembers the victory, but they don't always remember the bumps in the road.  Things always look good in retrospect.  But in the middle of it, we were -- we made all kinds of mistakes.  We goofed up.  I goofed up.  But the American people carried us forward.  (Applause.)  And even with all the things we had going for us -- all the way that things just kind of converged, 47 percent of the country still didn’t vote for me.  (Laughter.) 

I just want to point that out.  (Laughter.)  

But on the night of the election, I said to all those Americans, I may not have your vote, but I hear your voices.  I need your help.  I’ll be your President, too.  (Applause.)  And I don't know how many will vote for me this time, but I want you to know I’ll be there for you no matter what.  (Applause.)  I’ll be fighting just as hard for you as I am for somebody who did vote for me -- because I’m not fighting to create Republican jobs or Democratic jobs; I’m fighting to create American jobs.  (Applause.)  I’m not fighting to improve schools in red states or blue states; I’m fighting to improve schools in the United States. 

The values we believe in don’t belong to any one group or one party -- they’re not black or white, or Asian or Latino or Native American, gay, straight, abled, disabled -- they are American values; they belong to all of us.  (Applause.)   

And I still believe we’re not as divided as our politics suggest.  (Applause.) 

I still believe we’ve got more in common than the pundits tell us.  And most of all, I still believe in you.  (Applause.)  I still believe in you, and I am asking you to keep on believing in me.  (Applause.) 

I am asking you for your vote.  I am asking you to get out there and work. 

If you are willing to stand with me, if you’re willing to work with me, if you’re willing to knock on some doors with me and make some phone calls with me -- (applause) -- if you’re willing to email and tweet, and call your friends and call your neighbors, talk to your cousins, talk to grandma and grandpa -- if you will do that, we will finish what we started in 2008.  (Applause.)  We will win this election.  And we’ll remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  

Thank you, California.  God bless you and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

END     6:42 P.M. PDT

    

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Freitag, 28. September 2012

Iraqi Vice President al-Khuzai Urges U.N. to Resolve Syria Crisis

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Iraqi Vice President al-Khuzai Urges U.N. to Resolve Syria Crisis

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Dienstag, 25. September 2012

US-President Barack Obama ´s speech to the UN General Assembly | The White House






The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 25, 2012

Remarks by the President to the UN General Assembly

United Nations Headquarters
New York, New York 

10:22 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentleman:  I would like to begin today by telling you about an American named Chris Stevens.

Chris was born in a town called Grass Valley, California, the son of a lawyer and a musician.  As a young man, Chris joined the Peace Corps, and taught English in Morocco.  And he came to love and respect the people of North Africa and the Middle East. He would carry that commitment throughout his life.  As a diplomat, he worked from Egypt to Syria, from Saudi Arabia to Libya.  He was known for walking the streets of the cities where he worked -- tasting the local food, meeting as many people as he could, speaking Arabic, listening with a broad smile. 

Chris went to Benghazi in the early days of the Libyan revolution, arriving on a cargo ship.  As America’s representative, he helped the Libyan people as they coped with violent conflict, cared for the wounded, and crafted a vision for the future in which the rights of all Libyans would be respected. And after the revolution, he supported the birth of a new democracy, as Libyans held elections, and built new institutions, and began to move forward after decades of dictatorship.

Chris Stevens loved his work.  He took pride in the country he served, and he saw dignity in the people that he met.  And two weeks ago, he traveled to Benghazi to review plans to establish a new cultural center and modernize a hospital.  That’s when America’s compound came under attack.  Along with three of his colleagues, Chris was killed in the city that he helped to save. He was 52 years old. 

I tell you this story because Chris Stevens embodied the best of America.  Like his fellow Foreign Service officers, he built bridges across oceans and cultures, and was deeply invested in the international cooperation that the United Nations represents.  He acted with humility, but he also stood up for a set of principles -- a belief that individuals should be free to determine their own destiny, and live with liberty, dignity, justice, and opportunity. 

The attacks on the civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America.  We are grateful for the assistance we received from the Libyan government and from the Libyan people.  There should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice.  And I also appreciate that in recent days, the leaders of other countries in the region -- including Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen -- have taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities, and called for calm.  And so have religious authorities around the globe.

But understand, the attacks of the last two weeks are not simply an assault on America.  They are also an assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded -- the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully; that diplomacy can take the place of war; that in an interdependent world, all of us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens.

If we are serious about upholding these ideals, it will not be enough to put more guards in front of an embassy, or to put out statements of regret and wait for the outrage to pass.  If we are serious about these ideals, we must speak honestly about the deeper causes of the crisis -- because we face a choice between the forces that would drive us apart and the hopes that we hold in common.

Today, we must reaffirm that our future will be determined by people like Chris Stevens -- and not by his killers.  Today, we must declare that this violence and intolerance has no place among our United Nations.

It has been less than two years since a vendor in Tunisia set himself on fire to protest the oppressive corruption in his country, and sparked what became known as the Arab Spring.  And since then, the world has been captivated by the transformation that’s taken place, and the United States has supported the forces of change.

We were inspired by the Tunisian protests that toppled a dictator, because we recognized our own beliefs in the aspiration of men and women who took to the streets.

We insisted on change in Egypt, because our support for democracy ultimately put us on the side of the people. 

We supported a transition of leadership in Yemen, because the interests of the people were no longer being served by a corrupt status quo.

We intervened in Libya alongside a broad coalition, and with the mandate of the United Nations Security Council, because we had the ability to stop the slaughter of innocents, and because we believed that the aspirations of the people were more powerful than a tyrant.

And as we meet here, we again declare that the regime of Bashar al-Assad must come to an end so that the suffering of the Syrian people can stop and a new dawn can begin.

We have taken these positions because we believe that freedom and self-determination are not unique to one culture.  These are not simply American values or Western values -- they are universal values.  And even as there will be huge challenges to come with a transition to democracy, I am convinced that ultimately government of the people, by the people, and for the people is more likely to bring about the stability, prosperity, and individual opportunity that serve as a basis for peace in our world.

So let us remember that this is a season of progress.  For the first time in decades, Tunisians, Egyptians and Libyans voted for new leaders in elections that were credible, competitive, and fair.  This democratic spirit has not been restricted to the Arab world.  Over the past year, we’ve seen peaceful transitions of power in Malawi and Senegal, and a new President in Somalia.  In Burma, a President has freed political prisoners and opened a closed society, a courageous dissident has been elected to parliament, and people look forward to further reform.  Around the globe, people are making their voices heard, insisting on their innate dignity, and the right to determine their future.

And yet the turmoil of recent weeks reminds us that the path to democracy does not end with the casting of a ballot.  Nelson Mandela once said:  "To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."  (Applause.) 

True democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in jail because of what they believe, and that businesses can be opened without paying a bribe.  It depends on the freedom of citizens to speak their minds and assemble without fear, and on the rule of law and due process that guarantees the rights of all people.

In other words, true democracy -- real freedom -- is hard work.  Those in power have to resist the temptation to crack down on dissidents.  In hard economic times, countries must be tempted -- may be tempted to rally the people around perceived enemies, at home and abroad, rather than focusing on the painstaking work of reform.

Moreover, there will always be those that reject human progress -- dictators who cling to power, corrupt interests that depend on the status quo, and extremists who fan the flames of hate and division.  From Northern Ireland to South Asia, from Africa to the Americas, from the Balkans to the Pacific Rim, we’ve witnessed convulsions that can accompany transitions to a new political order. 

At time, the conflicts arise along the fault lines of race or tribe.  And often they arise from the difficulties of reconciling tradition and faith with the diversity and interdependence of the modern world.  In every country, there are those who find different religious beliefs threatening; in every culture, those who love freedom for themselves must ask themselves how much they’re willing to tolerate freedom for others.

That is what we saw play out in the last two weeks, as a crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world.  Now, I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity.

It is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well -- for as the city outside these walls makes clear, we are a country that has welcomed people of every race and every faith.  We are home to Muslims who worship across our country.  We not only respect the freedom of religion, we have laws that protect individuals from being harmed because of how they look or what they believe.  We understand why people take offense to this video because millions of our citizens are among them.

I know there are some who ask why we don’t just ban such a video.  And the answer is enshrined in our laws:  Our Constitution protects the right to practice free speech. 

Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense.  Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs.  As President of our country and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day -- (laughter) -- and I will always defend their right to do so.  (Applause.) 

Americans have fought and died around the globe to protect the right of all people to express their views, even views that we profoundly disagree with.  We do not do so because we support hateful speech, but because our founders understood that without such protections, the capacity of each individual to express their own views and practice their own faith may be threatened.  We do so because in a diverse society, efforts to restrict speech can quickly become a tool to silence critics and oppress minorities. 

We do so because given the power of faith in our lives, and the passion that religious differences can inflame, the strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression; it is more speech -- the voices of tolerance that rally against bigotry and blasphemy, and lift up the values of understanding and mutual respect.

Now, I know that not all countries in this body share this particular understanding of the protection of free speech.  We recognize that.  But in 2012, at a time when anyone with a cell phone can spread offensive views around the world with the click of a button, the notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete.  The question, then, is how do we respond? 

And on this we must agree:  There is no speech that justifies mindless violence.  (Applause.)  There are no words that excuse the killing of innocents.  There's no video that justifies an attack on an embassy.  There's no slander that provides an excuse for people to burn a restaurant in Lebanon, or destroy a school in Tunis, or cause death and destruction in Pakistan. 

In this modern world with modern technologies, for us to respond in that way to hateful speech empowers any individual who engages in such speech to create chaos around the world.  We empower the worst of us if that’s how we respond. 

More broadly, the events of the last two weeks also speak to the need for all of us to honestly address the tensions between the West and the Arab world that is moving towards democracy. 
Now, let me be clear:  Just as we cannot solve every problem in the world, the United States has not and will not seek to dictate the outcome of democratic transitions abroad.  We do not expect other nations to agree with us on every issue, nor do we assume that the violence of the past weeks or the hateful speech by some individuals represent the views of the overwhelming majority of Muslims, any more than the views of the people who produced this video represents those of Americans.  However, I do believe that it is the obligation of all leaders in all countries to speak out forcefully against violence and extremism.  (Applause.) 

It is time to marginalize those who -- even when not directly resorting to violence -- use hatred of America, or the West, or Israel, as the central organizing principle of politics. For that only gives cover, and sometimes makes an excuse, for those who do resort to violence.

That brand of politics -- one that pits East against West, and South against North, Muslims against Christians and Hindu and Jews -- can’t deliver on the promise of freedom.  To the youth, it offers only false hope.  Burning an American flag does nothing to provide a child an education.  Smashing apart a restaurant does not fill an empty stomach.  Attacking an embassy won’t create a single job.  That brand of politics only makes it harder to achieve what we must do together:  educating our children, and creating the opportunities that they deserve; protecting human rights, and extending democracy’s promise.

Understand America will never retreat from the world.  We will bring justice to those who harm our citizens and our friends, and we will stand with our allies.  We are willing to partner with countries around the world to deepen ties of trade and investment, and science and technology, energy and development -- all efforts that can spark economic growth for all our people and stabilize democratic change. 

But such efforts depend on a spirit of mutual interest and mutual respect.  No government or company, no school or NGO will be confident working in a country where its people are endangered.  For partnerships to be effective our citizens must be secure and our efforts must be welcomed.

A politics based only on anger -- one based on dividing the world between "us" and "them" -- not only sets back international cooperation, it ultimately undermines those who tolerate it.  All of us have an interest in standing up to these forces. 

Let us remember that Muslims have suffered the most at the hands of extremism.  On the same day our civilians were killed in Benghazi, a Turkish police officer was murdered in Istanbul only days before his wedding; more than 10 Yemenis were killed in a car bomb in Sana’a; several Afghan children were mourned by their parents just days after they were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul.

The impulse towards intolerance and violence may initially be focused on the West, but over time it cannot be contained.  The same impulses toward extremism are used to justify war between Sunni and Shia, between tribes and clans.  It leads not to strength and prosperity but to chaos.  In less than two years, we have seen largely peaceful protests bring more change to Muslim-majority countries than a decade of violence.  And extremists understand this.  Because they have nothing to offer to improve the lives of people, violence is their only way to stay relevant.  They don’t build; they only destroy.

It is time to leave the call of violence and the politics of division behind.  On so many issues, we face a choice between the promise of the future, or the prisons of the past.  And we cannot afford to get it wrong.  We must seize this moment.  And America stands ready to work with all who are willing to embrace a better future.

The future must not belong to those who target Coptic Christians in Egypt -- it must be claimed by those in Tahrir Square who chanted, "Muslims, Christians, we are one."  The future must not belong to those who bully women -- it must be shaped by girls who go to school, and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons.  (Applause.) 

The future must not belong to those corrupt few who steal a country’s resources -- it must be won by the students and entrepreneurs, the workers and business owners who seek a broader prosperity for all people.  Those are the women and men that America stands with; theirs is the vision we will support.

The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.  But to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see in the images of Jesus Christ that are desecrated, or churches that are destroyed, or the Holocaust that is denied.  (Applause.)

Let us condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims and Shiite pilgrims.  It’s time to heed the words of Gandhi:  "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit."  (Applause.)  Together, we must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them.  That is what America embodies, that’s the vision we will support.

Among Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on a prospect of peace.  Let us leave behind those who thrive on conflict, those who reject the right of Israel to exist.  The road is hard, but the destination is clear -- a secure, Jewish state of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine.  (Applause.)  Understanding that such a peace must come through a just agreement between the parties, America will walk alongside all who are prepared to make that journey.

In Syria, the future must not belong to a dictator who massacres his people.  If there is a cause that cries out for protest in the world today, peaceful protest, it is a regime that tortures children and shoots rockets at apartment buildings.  And we must remain engaged to assure that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence. 

Together, we must stand with those Syrians who believe in a different vision -- a Syria that is united and inclusive, where children don’t need to fear their own government, and all Syrians have a say in how they are governed -- Sunnis and Alawites, Kurds and Christians.  That’s what America stands for.  That is the outcome that we will work for -- with sanctions and consequences for those who persecute, and assistance and support for those who work for this common good.  Because we believe that the Syrians who embrace this vision will have the strength and the legitimacy to lead.

In Iran, we see where the path of a violent and unaccountable ideology leads.  The Iranian people have a remarkable and ancient history, and many Iranians wish to enjoy peace and prosperity alongside their neighbors.  But just as it restricts the rights of its own people, the Iranian government continues to prop up a dictator in Damascus and supports terrorist groups abroad.  Time and again, it has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful, and to meet its obligations to the United Nations.

So let me be clear.  America wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space to do so.  But that time is not unlimited.  We respect the right of nations to access peaceful nuclear power, but one of the purposes of the United Nations is to see that we harness that power for peace.  And make no mistake, a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained.  It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy.  It risks triggering a nuclear-arms race in the region, and the unraveling of the non-proliferation treaty.  That’s why a coalition of countries is holding the Iranian government accountable.  And that’s why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

We know from painful experience that the path to security and prosperity does not lie outside the boundaries of international law and respect for human rights.  That’s why this institution was established from the rubble of conflict.  That is why liberty triumphed over tyranny in the Cold War.  And that is the lesson of the last two decades as well. 

History shows that peace and progress come to those who make the right choices.  Nations in every part of the world have traveled this difficult path.  Europe, the bloodiest battlefield of the 20th century, is united, free and at peace.  From Brazil to South Africa, from Turkey to South Korea, from India to Indonesia, people of different races, religions, and traditions have lifted millions out of poverty, while respecting the rights of their citizens and meeting their responsibilities as nations.

And it is because of the progress that I’ve witnessed in my own lifetime, the progress that I’ve witnessed after nearly four years as President, that I remain ever hopeful about the world that we live in.  The war in Iraq is over.  American troops have come home.  We’ve begun a transition in Afghanistan, and America and our allies will end our war on schedule in 2014.  Al Qaeda has been weakened, and Osama bin Laden is no more.  Nations have come together to lock down nuclear materials, and America and Russia are reducing our arsenals.  We have seen hard choices made -- from Naypyidaw to Cairo to Abidjan -- to put more power in the hands of citizens.

At a time of economic challenge, the world has come together to broaden prosperity.  Through the G20, we have partnered with emerging countries to keep the world on the path of recovery.  America has pursued a development agenda that fuels growth and breaks dependency, and worked with African leaders to help them feed their nations.  New partnerships have been forged to combat corruption and promote government that is open and transparent, and new commitments have been made through the Equal Futures Partnership to ensure that women and girls can fully participate in politics and pursue opportunity.  And later today, I will discuss our efforts to combat the scourge of human trafficking.

All these things give me hope.  But what gives me the most hope is not the actions of us, not the actions of leaders -- it is the people that I’ve seen.  The American troops who have risked their lives and sacrificed their limbs for strangers half a world away; the students in Jakarta or Seoul who are eager to use their knowledge to benefit mankind; the faces in a square in Prague or a parliament in Ghana who see democracy giving voice to their aspirations; the young people in the favelas of Rio and the schools of Mumbai whose eyes shine with promise.  These men, women, and children of every race and every faith remind me that for every angry mob that gets shown on television, there are billions around the world who share similar hopes and dreams.  They tell us that there is a common heartbeat to humanity.

So much attention in our world turns to what divides us.  That’s what we see on the news.  That's what consumes our political debates.  But when you strip it all away, people everywhere long for the freedom to determine their destiny; the dignity that comes with work; the comfort that comes with faith; and the justice that exists when governments serve their people  -- and not the other way around.

The United States of America will always stand up for these aspirations, for our own people and for people all across the world.  That was our founding purpose.  That is what our history shows.  That is what Chris Stevens worked for throughout his life.

And I promise you this:  Long after the killers are brought to justice, Chris Stevens’s legacy will live on in the lives that he touched -- in the tens of thousands who marched against violence through the streets of Benghazi; in the Libyans who changed their Facebook photo to one of Chris; in the signs that read, simply, "Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans."

They should give us hope.  They should remind us that so long as we work for it, justice will be done, that history is on our side, and that a rising tide of liberty will never be reversed.

Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

END          

10:16 A.M. EDT

See the Video with  US-President Barack Obama ´s  speech to the UN General Assembly | The White House  here: 







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