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.
