In his final remarks to the United Nations General Assembly of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned against “strongmen” and authoritarianism and urged acceptance and inclusion across the globe.
Obama focused his address on the need for unity in not only America, but all around the world. Rallying against populism and division, he made a reference to the danger of building up walls, which Donald Trump has made a centerpiece of his campaign.
“Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself,” he said. “So the answer cannot be a simple rejection of global integration. Instead, we must work together to make sure the benefits of such integration are broadly shared. And that the disruptions, economic, political, and cultural that are caused by integration are squarely addressed.”
Obama also stressed the need to fight racism and discrimination, arguing that the “strongman” approach to governing societies divided by ethnic differences is not the correct path.
“In countries held together by borders drawn by colonial powers with ethnic enclaves and tribal divisions, politics and elections can sometimes appear to be a zero sum game,” Obama said. “And so given the difficulty in forging true democracy in the face of these pressures, it’s no surprise that some argue the the future favors the strongman. A top-down model rather than strong democratic institutions. But I believe this thinking is wrong.”
“We must reject any forms of fundamentalism or racism or a belief in ethnic superiority that makes our traditional identities irreconcilable,” he added. “We need to respect tolerance from all human beings. That’s a truism that global integration led to a collision of cultures. Trade, migration, the Internet, all of these things can challenge and unsettle our most cherished identities.”
In the wake of the weekend’s bombings in New York City and New Jersey, the debate about admitting refugees to the U.S. and the vetting of immigrants has been reignited. Obama emphasized the need for inclusion and connection, not just tolerance, of those other cultures.
“We have to follow through even when the politics are hard. Because in the eyes of innocent men and women and children who through no fault of their own have had to flee everything that they know, everything that they love, we have to have the empathy to see ourselves,” he said. “We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children if the unspeakable happened to us and we should all understand that ultimately our world will be more secure if we are prepared to help those in need.”
The President also urged people not to wield their religious beliefs to oppress women, LGBT people or those of other faiths.
“We must respect the meaning that people draw from their own traditions, from their religion, their ethnicity, from their sense of nationhood,” Obama said. “But I do not believe progress is possible if our desire to preserve our identities gives way to an impulse to dehumanize or dominate another group. If our religion leads us to persecute to those of another faith, if we jail or beat people who are gay, if our traditions lead us to prevent girls from going to school, if we discriminate on the basis of race or tribe or ethnicity, then the fragile bonds of civilization will fray.”
Obama clearly doesn’t understand what America needs to reverse its decline.
Wealthy interests have been using the power of government to choke off our liberties and allow the rich to accumulate more wealth at our expense.
The best solution is to elect a wealthy strongman who has a long history of enriching himself by screwing over employees, taxpayers, vendors, lenders, suppliers, and customers.
Obama clearly understands exactly what’s going on.
It’ll be another generation until a president has the equal poise, grace and intellectualism of President Obama. The man is pure class and leadership personafied. He’s a once in a lifetime person, and a great POTUS. The right man, in the right moment in time, to lead this country. I shudder to think of what may have become of United States of America if following Dubya, we had a President McCain or Romney to lead us out of the doldrums we were in when President Obama took office in January of 2009. I believe, with every inch of me, that no other man or woman could have brought us out with the dignity, determination and cool hand that Barack Obama did. Regardless of who wins, I will miss the brilliance of this man, with whole-heart.
Looks like he took a hard swipe at both Bibi and Donald. I bet Putin and Assad took offense as well. Good. Let them stew in their own self-importance and conceit. It’s important to call out those who are against democracy and the rule of law.
I like that he’s never been afraid of conservatives, shames them and speaks the truth to the world every chance he gets. No Neville Chamberlain here. The fascists better realize that they are not dealing with an unsuspecting populace that will cave into their authoritarian rule. We have leaders who the world will listen to and follow.