President Obama Speaks at United Nations
September 26, 2012
United States President Barack Obama addressed the opening session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City on September 25. He stated that the United States will “do what we must” to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Concerns over a nuclear-armed Iran have led the United States and many other countries to impose increasingly severe sanctions on Iran. The Iranian government has insisted that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful uses.
The president condemned the violence that erupted in predominantly Muslim nations over what he described as a “disgusting” anti-Islam video but defended U.S. freedom of speech and the spirit of tolerance that allowed the inflammatory anti-Muslim video to be made. “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,” noted the president. “And I will defend their right to do so.”
The United Nations (UN) General Assemblyis the only major organ of the United Nations in which all members are represented (© Mario Tama, Getty Images)
Speaking before President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon characterized the civil war in Syria as “a regional calamity with global ramifications.” President Obama was more forthright in his assessment of the situation in Syria, bluntly stating that the Bashar al-Assad regime must go. According to human rights activists, at least 21,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011. An estimated 1 million people have been displaced by the violence.
Additional World Book articles:
- Arab Spring
- Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a Special Report)
- Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
