Obama Warns of Rising Nationalism in Final UN Speech

By Lorin McLain

Donald Trump’s proposed border wall seemed to find it’s way into President Obama’s final speech as president to the UN General Assembly. Obama’s message to world leaders this week sounded more reflective and cautionary than an optimistic objective of cooperation envisioned in previous years. In his parting words, he warned of a world collapsing into divisions caused by “aggressive nationalism” or “crude populism,” seeming to reference the campaign of the GOP presidential candidate and the recent Brexit vote in Europe.

“A nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself,” he said, broadening the analogy beyond keeping out extremists to include the Zika virus, adding, “mosquitoes don’t respect walls.” In a plea for international order, he cautioned “we can choose to press forward with a better model of cooperation and integration, or we can retreat into a world sharply divided and ultimately in conflict along age-old lines of nation and tribe and race and religion.” The president warned a “course correction” was needed in the evolving path of globalization that is revealing “deep fault-lines in the existing world order.”

The President identified the Syrian civil war, ISIS, and increasing Russian aggression as security challenges to global order. He said ISIS and the Syrian conflict were results of a break down of basic order in the Middle East, and Russia’s aggression was an attempt to “recover lost glory through force.” He offered four objectives for world leaders to pursue to address challenges in a world where “governing becomes more difficult and tensions become more quick to surface.” He said leaders must pursue a fairer global economy, enhance democratic governance, reject fundamentalism and racism, and increase international cooperation.

Obama identified a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel as critical, noting “Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognizes it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land.” The speech was delivered the day before he was scheduled to meet with Israel’s prime minister this week to discuss pursuing a two-state solution to the conflict. Obama touted the Iran nuclear deal and normalizing relations with Cuba and Myanmar as examples of successful global approach.