Obama: The U.S. ‘Cannot Solve the World’s Problems Alone’

“[As president of the United States], I am mindful of the dangers that we face. They cross my desk every morning. I lead the strongest military that the world has ever known and I will never hesitate to protect my country or our allies unilaterally and by force where necessary. But I stand before you today believing in my core that we, the nations of the world, cannot return to the old ways of conflict and coercion. We cannot look backwards. We live in an integrated world, one in which we all have a stake in each other success. We cannot turn back those forces of integration. No nation in this assembly can insulate itself from the threat of terrorism or the risk of financial contagion, the flow of migrants or the danger of a warming planet. The disorder we see is not driven solely by competition between nations or any single ideology. And if we cannot work together more effectively, we will all suffer the consequences. That is true for the United States as well, no matter how powerful our military, how strong our economy. We understand the United States cannot solve the world's problems alone.”