President Obama addressed world leaders at the 71st United Nations General Assembly for the last time in office on Tuesday, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. in calling for global citizens to “work as co-workers with God” in order to promote a more inclusive and secure world.
“We can choose to press forward with a better model of cooperation and integration, or we can retreat into a world sharply divided and ultimately in conflict along age-old lines of nation and tribe and race and religion,” the president said. “I want to suggest to you today that we must go forward and not back.”
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The president outlined the achievements the US has made as a liberal democracy, saying he believed the country has been “force for good,” before hitting on how the world can come together to tackle the many challenges it faces today, including the war in Syria, the threat of terrorism, and the growing refugee crisis.
“Despite enormous progress, as people lose trust in institutions, governing becomes more difficult and tensions between nations become more quick to surface,” he said.
Though Obama kept his speech focused on global policy issues, he did slip in a few indirect jabs at Republican nominee Donald Trump, rejecting his brand of nationalism by saying, “The world is too small for us to simply build a wall and prevent [terrorism] from affecting our own societies.”
Following the speech, Obama plans to address a few important points of business before the November election ushers in either Clinton or Trump, including the refugee crisis, Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, and better diplomacy to end the civil war in Syria.
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