U.S. President Barack Obama used his eighth and last address to the United Nations General Assembly to give a speech that was more philosophical than political, and in which he prescribed as a solution to the current crises more global cooperation and true democracy everywhere to counter the upsurge of populism.
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Though he never directly addressed the US presidential election, Obama’s message for the General Assembly was in many ways applicable to the impulses raging in the race, citing “a contest between authoritarianism and democracy right now” and an appeal for a top-down “strongman model”.
Obama also warned that “the embers of extremism will continue to burn” in the world, but that “the world is too small for us to simply be able to build a wall” and prevent it from affecting society.
“There will be no repeat of the year 2015 with more than one and a half million irregular migrants”, he added. He led a meeting of fellow leaders to nail down commitments from countries to take in more displaced people, and to spend more to integrate them.
“It is an ugly lie that must be rejected in all our countries”, Obama said.
But in Washington, Sen.
Obama urged Israel to end occupation and Palestinians accept Israel.
David Swanson, a spokesman from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Aid, said the airstrike was a “devastating blow” for the Syrian people.
The Obama administration has emphasized that a half-dozen other countries including Germany and Jordan are co-hosting the refugee summit, but it’s largely been a US -driven endeavor.
The civil war in Syria has contributed to a huge migration problem in the Middle East and Europe, and Mr. Obama has been criticized broadly for not doing enough to end the war.
The Obama administration is hopeful the Leader’s Summit on Tuesday afternoon can build momentum for more action.
His speech came as fighting in Syria has resumed after the Syrian military declared Monday an end to the fragile cease-fire deal that was brokered between the USA and Russian Federation just over a week ago.
“Just when we think it can not get any worse, the bar of depravity sinks lower”, Ban said in his last speech as leader of the organisation after a decade in the job, much of it preoccupied with Syria.
The Obama-supported effort to make the United Nations part of what should be a USA domestic immigration policy decision mirrors what is happening at the regional level in Europe. He said the report should be a “wake-up call” to the government to get tougher on immigration and border security.
The White House has pledged to allow an additional 85,000 Syrians to resettle in the USA during the 2017 fiscal year.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice announced on August 29 the administration had met its goal of allowing 10,000 Syrians to resettle in the US during the 2016 fiscal year.
That event followed the September 19 UN General Assembly’s “Summit for Refugees and Migrants” – an all-day even with the stated goal of strengthening “governance of global migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants”.
Obama called on wealthier nations to step up, adding that “we all have to do more”.
“We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children”. “Somebody loves them just as much”.
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Only eight countries now host more than half the world’s refugees: Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda.
