Obama: U.S. cannot solve the world's problems alone
Obama: U.S. cannot solve the world's problems alone.
President Obama told the United Nations on Monday that they must all work together on an array of challenges - from Syria to Ukraine, from poverty to climate change - because "the United States cannot solve the world's problems alone."
While making a largely thematic address to the U.N. General Assembly about the need for global cooperation, Obama also had harsh words for Russia just hours ahead of a tense meeting with President Vladimir Putin later on Monday.
The president criticized Russia's aggression in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, saying "we cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated."
While not citing the Russian president by name, Obama also challenged Putin's assertion that the only solution to the conflict and refugee crisis Syria is to back Bashar al-Assad, describing him as a tyrant "who drops barrel bombs on innocent children."
Throughout his 43-minute speech, Obama also defended the Iran nuclear agreement and questioned a Chinese military build-up in the South China Sea that has drawn protests from U.S. allies like Japan and South Korea. He extolled the new U.S. approach to Cuba, and called on Congress to lift the decades-long economic embargo against the communist island.
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Obama also pledged to continue the fight against the threats of the Islamic State - "we will not be outlasted by extremists" - but said other nations need to participate, a common theme of his U.S. address.