He said that American readiness to make this change should be welcomed by all nations, including those that had grown to distrust the United States during the Bush-Cheney era and, sounding like FDR in the last days of the last world war, described a global agenda for the United States based on "four pillars." (Roosevelt, in his day, outlined "four freedoms" he said should be promoted around the world.)
The first of Obama's four pillars was nuclear proliferation. "We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek a world without the," Obama declared, committing the U.S. to new negotiations to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The second pillar was the pursuit of peace. "I will not waive in my pursuit of peace," the president declared. The gathering of world representatives applauded when he declared that the United States did not accept the legitimacy of Israeli settlements in occupied territory. Obama declared: "The time has come to re-launch negotiations, without preconditions, that address the permanent-status issues: security for Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people."
The third pillar was protection of the environment. The president said: "We must recognize that in the 21st century we must take responsibility for climate change on our planet. The days when America dragged its feet on this issue are over."
The fourth pillar was a global economy that works for everyone, The president called for new "rules of the road" that curb greed and speculation. "We will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time," the president declared, emphasizing the responsibility of wealthy nations to do more to help and respect developing nations.
The president said that even his speech would amount to "just words" if leaders did not return to their countries and "do the hard work" of making the promises real.
The president showed humility before the world body, admitting that "America has too often been selective in our promotion of democracy" and that it has to do more to make a complete break with the anti-democratic practices of previous years."
Initial reaction at home and abroad is overwhelmingly positive. Progressives, in particular, are thrilled with the president's repudiation of policies backed by George Bush and the neoliberals and the parallels between Obama's approach and that of FDR.
