Another speech for the ages from President Bush to the UN General Assembly where he didn’t pull any punches, here are a few highlights….hope to get the video up soon.
You can see his whole speech here.
Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for the privilege of speaking to this General Assembly.
Last week America and the world marked the fifth anniversary of the attacks that filled another September morning with death and suffering. On that terrible day, extremists killed nearly 3,000 innocent people, including citizens of dozens of nations represented right here in this chamber.
Since then, the enemies of humanity have continued their campaign of murder. Al Qaida and those inspired by its extremist ideology have attacked more than two dozen nations. And recently a different group of extremists deliberately provoked a terrible conflict in Lebanon.
At the start of the 21st century, it is clear that the world is engaged in a great ideological struggle between extremists who use terror as a weapon to create fear and moderate people who work for peace.
Five years ago I stood at this podium and called on the community of nations to defend civilization and build a more hopeful future. This is still the great challenge of our time.
It is the calling of our generation.
[…]Some of the changes in the Middle East have been dramatic, and we see the results in this chamber.
Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime, and its seat in this body was contested.
Now this seat is held by the freely elected government of Afghanistan, which is represented today by President Karzai.
Five years ago, Iraq’s seat in this body was held by a dictator who killed his citizens, invaded his neighbors and showed his contempt for the world by defying more than a dozen U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Now Iraq’s seat is held by a democratic government that embodies the aspirations of the Iraq people. It is represented today by President Talabani.
With these changes, more than 50 million people have been give an voice in this chamber for the first time in decades.
Some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, but they are real.
Algeria has held its first competitive presidential election, and the military remained neutral.
The United Arab Emirates recently announced that half of its seats in the Federal National Council will be chosen by elections.
Kuwait held elections in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time.
Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia and parliamentary elections in Jordan and Bahrain and in multiparty presidential elections in Yemen and Egypt.
These are important steps, and the governments should continue to move forward with other reforms that show they trust their people.
Every nation that travels the road to freedom moves at a different pace and the democracies they build will reflect their own culture and traditions.
But the destination is the same: a free society where people live at peace with each other and at peace with the world.
Some have argued that the democratic changes we’re seeing in the Middle East are destabilizing the region.
This argument rests on a false assumption: that the Middle East was stable to begin with.
The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage.
For decades, millions of men and women in the region had been trapped in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned and made this region a breeding ground for extremism.
Imagine what it’s like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You’re 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your government.
While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country’s shortcomings.
And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence and terror and martyrdom.
For many across the broader Middle East this is the dismal choice presented every day.
[…]Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed.
It must be chosen.
From Beirut to Baghdad, people are making the choice for freedom.
And the nations gathered in this chamber must make a choice as well. Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change across the Middle East, or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists?
America has made its choice. We will stand with the moderates and reformers.
UPDATE
Hot Air has some key portions of the speech on video. Some are criticizing the speech believing that it’s the collapse of Bush’s Iran policy but as Mario Loyola states, it’s a diplomatic speech for the entire UN:
Those who criticize the speech the President just gave before the UN General Assembly should consider that its purpose was not to make a policy statement or even articulate a diplomatic posture. It was intended more than anything an an act of public diplomacy. Knowing that the speech would be carried live in translation to audiences throughout the Middle East, the president took this as an opportunity to speak to the people of the region.
Meanwhile Kofi has finally figured out that the laws apply to him also:
After claiming new financial disclosure rules did not apply to him, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has now agreed to fill out financial disclosure reports required of all U.N. staff in the wake of the multi-billion dollar oil-for-food scandal.
A spokesman for Annan, said he would “voluntarily” fill out the new disclosure form, reporting any gifts over $250.
U.N. critics said Annan’s prior position that he was exempt from the requirement was disheartening. “I think that certainly doesn’t say much of a CEO of an organization who has to be coerced into making a financial disclosure,” said John Fawcett, a lawyer and human rights activist whose work helped lead to the U.N. investigation.
Last year’s investigation of the U.N. found Annan’s son had questionable ties to a company that received U.N. contracts, but there was no suggestion that Annan himself had benefited in any way.
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