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President Obama Delivers The Speech That The World Needed To Hear At Hiroshima

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:01 pm

In a beautiful speech, President Obama spoke at Hiroshima and delivered a message that the entire world needed to hear.

Video:

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The President said:

Still, every act of aggression between nations, every act of terror and corruption and cruelty and oppression that we see around the world shows our work is never done. We may not be able to eliminate man’s capacity to do evil, so nations and the alliances that we form must possess the means to defend ourselves. But among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them.

We may not realize this goal in my lifetime, but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe. We can chart a course that leads to the destruction of these stockpiles. We can stop the spread to new nations and secure deadly materials from fanatics.

And yet that is not enough. For we see around the world today how even the crudest rifles and barrel bombs can serve up violence on a terrible scale. We must change our mind-set about war itself. To prevent conflict through diplomacy and strive to end conflicts after they’ve begun. To see our growing interdependence as a cause for peaceful cooperation and not violent competition. To define our nations not by our capacity to destroy but by what we build. And perhaps, above all, we must reimagine our connection to one another as members of one human race.

For this, too, is what makes our species unique. We’re not bound by genetic code to repeat the mistakes of the past. We can learn. We can choose. We can tell our children a different story, one that describes a common humanity, one that makes war less likely and cruelty less easily accepted.

President Obama was correct. In many ways, the threat of global terrorism has made the world reactionary. National security experts suggest that we have to resign ourselves to the reality that some terrorist attacks will happen no matter how well the intelligence community does its job. The presidential candidacy of Donald Trump is rooted in reactionary behavior. Trump never speaks about preventing violence and terrorism, but only using violence and military action to engage terrorists.

There is a better way. A way that focuses on preventing conflict without escalating the violence and death. Peace is best ensured through communication, cooperation, and diplomacy. Instead of alienating the United States from the rest of the world, the best path to peace involves cooperation to stop acts of terror and capture terrorists. War should be a last resort, never an elective choice.

Obama delivered the speech that the world needed to hear. Spreading fear is easy. Achieving peace without the use of force should be humanity’s ultimate goal.

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