English Speeches with Audio & Transcripts | Books & Articles
Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a keynote address about how information is created and consumed, and the threat that disinformation poses to democracy.
If the past two decades have taught us anything, it’s that the biggest challenges we face cannot be solved in isolation. When overseas states start falling apart, they become breeding grounds for terrorists and ideologies of nihilism and despair that ultimately can reach our shores.
What we face…is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
Remarks by the President Obama to the United Nations General Assembly 2009. Obama commented on international security, the global economic crisis and climate change. On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he called for negotiations to resume without preconditions on all key issues, with the goal of implementing a two-state solution. He also committed to promoting Arab-Israeli peace at large, emphasizing Syria and Lebanon.
At the University of Michigan’s Spring Commencement, President Obama discussed the nature of politics in our democracy which he said has “never been for the thick-skinned or the faint-of-heart.” He talked about pundits and politicians who call each other all sorts of names and continue to debate about the role and size of government, but reminded the audience that “our experiment in democracy has worked better than any form of government on Earth.”
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified …
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.