1 00:00:00,140 --> 00:00:03,340 - My fellow Americans, a short time ago, 2 00:00:03,780 --> 00:00:06,520 I ordered the United States Armed Forces 3 00:00:07,020 --> 00:00:09,660 to launch precision strikes on targets 4 00:00:09,660 --> 00:00:13,980 associated with the chemical weapons capabilities 5 00:00:14,205 --> 00:00:17,700 of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. 6 00:00:19,410 --> 00:00:23,780 A combined operation with the armed forces of France 7 00:00:23,820 --> 00:00:27,070 and the United Kingdom is now underway. 8 00:00:27,610 --> 00:00:28,640 We thank them both. 9 00:00:29,690 --> 00:00:31,660 Tonight, I want to speak with you 10 00:00:31,910 --> 00:00:34,320 about why we have taken this action. 11 00:00:35,179 --> 00:00:40,179 One year ago, Assad launched a savage 12 00:00:40,308 --> 00:00:45,300 chemical weapons attack against his own innocent people. 13 00:00:46,150 --> 00:00:50,110 The United States responded with 58 missile strikes 14 00:00:50,110 --> 00:00:54,490 that destroyed 20 percent of the Syrian Air Force. 15 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,439 Last Saturday, the Assad regime 16 00:00:57,439 --> 00:00:59,820 again deployed chemical weapons 17 00:01:00,190 --> 00:01:02,680 to slaughter innocent civilians this time, 18 00:01:03,290 --> 00:01:08,290 in the town of Douma, near the Syrian capital of Damascus. 19 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:12,300 This massacre was a significant escalation 20 00:01:12,940 --> 00:01:15,520 in a pattern of chemical weapons use 21 00:01:16,260 --> 00:01:19,170 by that very terrible regime. 22 00:01:20,020 --> 00:01:22,840 The evil and the despicable attack 23 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,720 left mothers and fathers, infants and children, 24 00:01:27,270 --> 00:01:30,900 thrashing in pain and gasping for air. 25 00:01:31,930 --> 00:01:34,110 These are not the actions of a man; 26 00:01:34,875 --> 00:01:38,570 they are crimes of a monster instead. 27 00:01:39,620 --> 00:01:44,380 Following the horrors of World War I a century ago, 28 00:01:45,500 --> 00:01:49,250 civilized nations joined together to ban chemical warfare. 29 00:01:50,230 --> 00:01:53,140 Chemical weapons are uniquely dangerous 30 00:01:53,740 --> 00:01:56,560 not only because they inflict gruesome suffering, 31 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,500 but because even small amounts 32 00:01:59,500 --> 00:02:03,790 can unleash widespread devastation. 33 00:02:05,210 --> 00:02:06,960 The purpose of our actions tonight, 34 00:02:07,860 --> 00:02:09,870 is to establish a strong deterrent 35 00:02:09,870 --> 00:02:14,390 against the production, spread, and use of chemical weapons. 36 00:02:14,930 --> 00:02:17,760 Establishing this deterrent is a vital 37 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,910 national security interest of the United States. 38 00:02:21,540 --> 00:02:25,160 The combined American, British, and French response 39 00:02:25,820 --> 00:02:28,770 to these atrocities will integrate 40 00:02:28,910 --> 00:02:32,740 all instruments of our national power, 41 00:02:33,180 --> 00:02:36,480 military, economic, and diplomatic. 42 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,050 We are prepared to sustain this response 43 00:02:41,490 --> 00:02:44,570 until the Syrian regime stops its use 44 00:02:45,030 --> 00:02:47,440 of prohibited chemical agents. 45 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,310 I also have a message tonight for the two governments 46 00:02:52,310 --> 00:02:55,170 most responsible for supporting, equipping, 47 00:02:55,170 --> 00:02:59,100 and financing the criminal Assad regime. 48 00:03:00,470 --> 00:03:03,140 To Iran, and to Russia, I ask: 49 00:03:03,740 --> 00:03:06,500 What kind of a nation wants to be associated 50 00:03:07,030 --> 00:03:12,030 with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children? 51 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,490 The nations of the world can be judged 52 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:18,400 by the friends they keep. 53 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,710 No nation can succeed in the long run by promoting 54 00:03:23,710 --> 00:03:28,710 rogue states, brutal tyrants, and murderous dictators. 55 00:03:29,620 --> 00:03:33,190 In 2013, President Putin and his government 56 00:03:33,190 --> 00:03:35,560 promised the world that they would guarantee 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,280 the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons. 58 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,190 Assad's recent attack, and today's response, 59 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,980 are the direct result of Russia's failure 60 00:03:47,980 --> 00:03:50,040 to keep that promise. 61 00:03:50,590 --> 00:03:55,190 Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path, 62 00:03:55,330 --> 00:03:58,070 or if it will join with civilized nations 63 00:03:58,370 --> 00:04:01,530 as a force for stability and peace. 64 00:04:02,350 --> 00:04:04,930 Hopefully, someday we'll get along with Russia, 65 00:04:05,591 --> 00:04:09,390 and maybe even Iran, but maybe not. 66 00:04:10,470 --> 00:04:14,650 I will say this: The United States has a lot to offer, 67 00:04:15,500 --> 00:04:18,400 with the greatest and most powerful economy 68 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:20,900 in the history of the world. 69 00:04:21,535 --> 00:04:26,535 In Syria, the United States, with but a small force 70 00:04:26,687 --> 00:04:30,530 being used to eliminate what is left of ISIS, 71 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,560 is doing what is necessary to protect the American people. 72 00:04:36,100 --> 00:04:40,920 Over the last year, nearly 100 percent of the territory 73 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,010 once controlled by the so-called ISIS caliphate 74 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:50,410 in Syria and Iraq has been liberated and eliminated. 75 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:53,480 The United States has also rebuilt 76 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,220 our friendships across the Middle East. 77 00:04:56,790 --> 00:05:00,010 We have asked our partners to take greater responsibility 78 00:05:00,010 --> 00:05:04,340 for securing their home region, including contributing 79 00:05:04,352 --> 00:05:09,120 large amounts of money for the resources, equipment, 80 00:05:09,170 --> 00:05:13,040 and all of the anti-ISIS effort. 81 00:05:14,020 --> 00:05:16,820 Increased engagement from our friends, 82 00:05:16,820 --> 00:05:20,590 including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, 83 00:05:20,750 --> 00:05:23,770 Qatar, Egypt, and others can ensure 84 00:05:24,290 --> 00:05:29,290 that Iran does not profit from the eradication of ISIS. 85 00:05:29,900 --> 00:05:34,570 America does not seek an indefinite presence 86 00:05:34,580 --> 00:05:37,670 in Syria under no circumstances. 87 00:05:38,100 --> 00:05:41,180 As other nations step up their contributions, 88 00:05:41,650 --> 00:05:43,270 we look forward to the day 89 00:05:43,550 --> 00:05:46,830 when we can bring our warriors home. 90 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:49,860 And great warriors they are. 91 00:05:50,269 --> 00:05:53,300 Looking around our very troubled world, 92 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:56,270 Americans have no illusions. 93 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:58,740 We cannot purge the world of evil, 94 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:02,700 or act everywhere there is tyranny. 95 00:06:03,660 --> 00:06:05,830 No amount of American blood or treasure 96 00:06:05,830 --> 00:06:10,060 can produce lasting peace and security in the Middle East. 97 00:06:10,710 --> 00:06:12,100 It's a troubled place. 98 00:06:12,750 --> 00:06:16,560 We will try to make it better, but it is a troubled place. 99 00:06:17,170 --> 00:06:20,310 The United States will be a partner and a friend, 100 00:06:20,820 --> 00:06:23,690 but the fate of the region lies 101 00:06:23,690 --> 00:06:25,870 in the hands of its own people. 102 00:06:26,780 --> 00:06:28,960 In the last century, we looked straight 103 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,790 into the darkest places of the human soul. 104 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,640 We saw the anguish that can be unleashed, 105 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,610 and the evil that can take hold. 106 00:06:40,670 --> 00:06:45,670 By the end of the World War I, more than one million people 107 00:06:47,130 --> 00:06:51,300 had been killed or injured by chemical weapons. 108 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:56,220 We never want to see that ghastly specter return. 109 00:06:57,410 --> 00:07:00,990 So today, the nations of Britain, France, 110 00:07:00,990 --> 00:07:02,690 and the United States of America 111 00:07:03,180 --> 00:07:05,420 have marshaled their righteous power 112 00:07:05,775 --> 00:07:08,600 against barbarism and brutality. 113 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,150 Tonight, I ask all Americans to say a prayer 114 00:07:12,260 --> 00:07:15,250 for our noble warriors, and our allies 115 00:07:15,390 --> 00:07:17,320 as they carry out their missions. 116 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,010 We pray that God will bring comfort 117 00:07:20,010 --> 00:07:21,820 to those suffering in Syria. 118 00:07:22,530 --> 00:07:25,170 We pray that God will guide the whole region 119 00:07:25,620 --> 00:07:28,700 toward a future of dignity and of peace. 120 00:07:29,230 --> 00:07:31,250 And we pray that God will continue 121 00:07:31,250 --> 00:07:36,250 to watch over and bless the United States of America. 122 00:07:37,020 --> 00:07:38,870 Thank you, and goodnight. 123 00:07:39,340 --> 00:07:40,173 Thank you.