President Obama's U.N. Address

On September 28, 2015, President Obama addressed the U.N. General Assembly. The speech covered several pressing international issues, most notably: the deal his administration recently brokered with Iran, the predicament of Syria and the refugees from that country, and the ongoing crisis in Israel. Here are 24 words from the President's speech.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. extremist
    a person who holds radical views
    Peaceful movements have too often been answered by violence from those resisting change and from extremists trying to hijack change.
  2. legitimacy
    lawfulness by virtue of being authorized
    It’s an insult to human reason and to the legitimacy of this institution to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack.
  3. sectarian
    of or relating to a subdivision of a larger religious group
    Sectarian conflict has re-emerged, and the potential spread of weapons of mass destruction continues to cast a shadow over the pursuit of peace.
  4. thematic
    relating to or constituting a topic of discourse
    General Assembly took a much more prescriptive approach to problems in the Middle East and Iran than his broader, thematic speeches of previous years.
  5. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
    There, peaceful protests against an authoritarian regime were met with repression and slaughter.
  6. horrendous
    causing fear or dread or terror
    And these challenges will grow more pronounced as we are confronted with states that are fragile or failing, places where horrendous violence can put innocent men, women and children at risk with no hope of protection from their national institutions.
  7. reaffirm
    assert once again
    Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen, each year we come together to reaffirm the founding vision of this institution.
  8. destabilize
    make unsturdy, insecure, or less able to function smoothly
    Although America is steadily reducing our own dependence on imported oil, the world still depends on the region’s energy supply and a severe disruption could destabilize the entire global economy.
  9. inclusive
    encompassing much or everything
    Mohammed Morsi was democratically elected but proved unwilling or unable to govern in a way that was fully inclusive.
  10. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    They did not think this body could eradicate all wars.
  11. unequivocally
    in an unambiguous manner
    But, the children of Israel have the right to live in a world where the nations assembled in this body fully recognize their country, and where we unequivocally reject those who fire rockets at their homes or incite others to hate them.
  12. carnage
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    It took the awful carnage of two world wars to shift our thinking.
  13. authoritarian
    characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule
    There, peaceful protests against an authoritarian regime were met with repression and slaughter.
  14. inalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
    We’re ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges with you, firm in the belief that all men and women are, in fact, created equally, each individual possessed with a dignity and inalienable rights that cannot be denied.
  15. coordinated
    operating as a unit
    Now, five years after the global economy collapsed, and thanks to coordinated efforts by the countries here today, jobs are being created, global financial systems have stabilized and people are once again being lifted out of poverty.
  16. sovereignty
    the authority of a state to govern another state
    Assad’s traditional allies have propped him up, citing principles of sovereignty to shield his regime.
  17. unilateral
    involving only one part or side
    But I also believe that we can rarely achieve these objectives through unilateral American action, particularly through military action.
  18. proliferation
    a rapid increase in number
    Just as we consider the use of chemical weapons in Syria to be a threat to our own national security, we reject the development of nuclear weapons that could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region and undermine the global nonproliferation regime.
  19. embroil
    force into some kind of situation or course of action
    How do we address the choice of standing callously by while children are subjected to nerve gas, but we’re embroiling ourselves in someone else’s civil war?
  20. stockpile
    something kept back or saved for future use
    The Syrian government took a first step by giving an accounting of its stockpiles.
  21. mandate
    assign under an official instruction or command
    Now, I know that in the immediate aftermath of the attack there were those who questioned the legitimacy of even a limited strike in the absence of a clear mandate from the Security Council.
  22. interim
    serving during an intermediate interval of time
    The interim government that replaced him responded to the desires of millions of Egyptians who believed the revolution had taken a wrong turn.
  23. hijack
    take arbitrarily or by force
    Peaceful movements have too often been answered by violence from those resisting change and from extremists trying to hijack change.
  24. convulsion
    a sudden uncontrollable attack
    Just as significantly, the convulsions in the Middle East and North Africa have laid bare deep divisions within societies, as an old order is upended and people grapple with what comes next.
Created on Mon Sep 28 13:25:30 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Sep 28 14:11:05 EDT 2015)

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