AJC Praises President Obama's Vision for U.S. Global Leadership

NEW YORK, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a global advocacy organization that has long supported U.S. leadership as an essential means to advance and ensure peace and security around the world, AJC welcomes President Obama's policy address today at West Point.

"Projecting core American values, promoting democracy and human rights, are central to the U.S. mission globally," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "We wholeheartedly agree with President Obama that, 'In the 21^st century, American isolationism is not an option.'"

"As the President stated, 'A world of greater freedom and tolerance is not only a moral imperative – it also keeps us safe,'" Harris continued. President Obama also pointed out that "because of America's efforts – through diplomacy and foreign assistance, as well as the sacrifices of our military – more people live under elected governments today than any time in human history."

Indeed, in Ukraine citizens determined to build a democratic country aligned with the West voted last Sunday for a new president. "Standing with our allies on behalf of international order has given a chance for the Ukrainian people to choose their future," said Obama. AJC has supported Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union, and currently has a representative stationed in Kiev. "Washington's steadfast support for Ukraine is a clear example of the importance of U.S. engagement with the world," said Harris.

Addressing the West Point 2014 graduating class, Obama declared that "America must always lead on the world stage. If we don't, no one else will."

The president identified terrorism as the number one threat to the U.S., both at home and around the world. He called on Congress to support a new Counter-Terrorism Partnerships Fund, which will allow the U.S. "to train, build capacity and facilitate partner countries on the front lines. These resources will give flexibility to fulfill different missions."

The three-year-old Syria conflict, in particular, has become a breeding ground for international terrorists, individuals who came from other countries to fight and have already returned home or gone elsewhere with untold consequences. President Obama announced that the U.S. "will step up efforts to support Syria's neighbors – Jordan and Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq – as they host refugees, and confront terrorists working across Syrian borders."

"President Obama's initiatives to combat the ever-growing threats of terrorism are not only welcome, but vital for global security," Harris said. "As the president stated, 'We have a real stake – and abiding self-interest – in making sure our children grow up in a world where school-girls are not kidnapped, where individuals aren't slaughtered because of tribe or faith or political beliefs.'"

AJC also welcomed President Obama's warning that the U.S. "reserves all options to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." His comments on Iran's nuclear program come a few weeks before the next round of P5+1 talks with Tehran, with a July deadline looming for concluding a permanent accord – or perhaps extending the talks.

"Iran has to understand that failure to reach an acceptable deal, one that definitively prevents Iran from acquiring the capability to build a nuclear weapon, will lead to additional U.S. economic sanctions and other pressures," said Harris. "The Iranian regime, which supports terrorism, suppresses human rights, meddles in the affairs of its neighbors, and calls for a world without Israel, cannot be permitted to get the bomb."

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SOURCE American Jewish Committee