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1. The United States has decided to carry out a

military strike to punish the Assad regime for using

chemical weapons.

2. The President of the United States, as the oldest

constitutional democracy, believes the United

States should try to reach a diplomatic solution to

the Syrian conflict.

3. The President of the United States has decided to

postpone the use of military force until the

diplomatic path to solve the conflict is exhausted.

focu on listening

1Listen to President Barack Obamas speech and decide which is the beststatement to summarize its content.

Presidents Speech

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intermediate

upper-intermediate

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anguage Function: discussing issues - listening

Vocabulary /Topic:conflict in Syria - political debate - international affairs - US

politics

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2What is your reaction to the Presidents speech? Do you think the idea of militaryintervention being put on hold as politicians pursue the diplomatic option is theway forward?

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3 Listen to the first part of the Presidents speech again to answer these questions

Presidents Speech

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1. What has the United States and its allies done for the last 2 years in

relation to the Syria conflict?

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2. Why did Barack Obama resist the calls for military action?

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3. How did the situation in Syria change on August 21, 2013?

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4. What images from the massacre is Barack Obama talking about?

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5. What evidence does suggest that the chemical weapons were used by

the Assad regime?

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6. How does the President explain that what happened in Syria constitutes

a danger to the security of the United States of America?

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7. Why does the President feel he should seek the approval of Congress tocarry out a military strike against the Assad regime?

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4Listen to the next part of Barack Obamas speech. What are the Presidentsanswers to the questions he received from Americans?

1. Wont a military strike on Syria put the United States on a slippery slope to another war?

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2. Is it worth acting if they dont take out Assad?

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3. Does a strike on Syria involve the dangers of retaliation?

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4. Why should the United States get involved at all in a place thats so complicated, and wherethose who come after Assad may be enemies of human rights?

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5. Should the USA be the worlds policeman?

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Presidents Speech

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5 Discuss these questions in your group.

Do you think the President made a good speech? Why yes or why not?

Should the USA be the worlds policeman?

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Presidents Speech

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Speech Transcript

PRESIDENT OBAMA:My fellow Americans, tonight Iwant to talk to you about Syria -- why it matters, and

where we go from here.

Over the past two years, what began as a series of peacefulprotests against the repressive regime of Bashar al-Assadhas turned into a brutal civil war. Over 100,000 peoplehave been killed. Millions have fled the country. In thattime, America has worked with allies to providehumanitarian support, to help the moderate opposition,and to shape a political settlement. But I have resistedcalls for military action, because we cannot resolvesomeone elses civil war through force, particularly after adecade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The situation profoundly changed, though, on August 21st,when Assads government gassed to death over a thousandpeople, including hundreds of children. The images fromthis massacre are sickening: Men, women, children lyingin rows, killed by poison gas. Others foaming at themouth, gasping for breath. A father clutching his deadchildren, imploring them to get up and walk. On thatterrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail theterrible nature of chemical weapons, and why theoverwhelming majority of humanity has declared themoff-limits -- a crime against humanity, and a violation ofthe laws of war.

This was not always the case. In World War I, AmericanGIs were among the many thousands killed by deadly gasin the trenches of Europe. In World War II, the Nazis usedgas to inflict the horror of the Holocaust. Because these

weapons can kill on a mass scale, with no distinctionbetween soldier and infant, the civilized world has spent acentury working to ban them. And in 1997, the UnitedStates Senate overwhelmingly approved an internationalagreement prohibiting the use of chemical weapons, now

joined by 189 governments that represent 98 percent ofhumanity.

On August 21st, these basic rules were violated, along withour sense of common humanity. No one disputes that

chemical weapons were used in Syria. The world sawthousands of videos, cell phone pictures, and social mediaaccounts from the attack, and humanitarian organizationstold stories of hospitals packed with people who hadsymptoms of poison gas.

Moreover, we know the Assad regime was responsible. Inthe days leading up to August 21st, we know that Assads

chemical weapons personnel prepared for an attack nearan area where they mix sarin gas. They distributed gasmasks to their troops. Then they fired rockets from aregime-controlled area into 11 neighborhoods that theregime has been trying to wipe clear of opposition forces.Shortly after those rockets landed, the gas spread, andhospitals filled with the dying and the wounded. We knowsenior figures in Assads military machine reviewed theresults of the attack, and the regime increased theirshelling of the same neighborhoods in the days thatfollowed. Weve also studied samples of blood and hairfrom people at the site that tested positive for sarin.

When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the

world to look the other way until those horrifying picturesfade from memory. But these things happened. The factscannot be denied. The question now is what the UnitedStates of America, and the international community, isprepared to do about it. Because what happened to thosepeople -- to those children -- is not only a violation ofinternational law, its also a danger to our security.

Let me explain why. If we fail to act, the Assad regime wilsee no reason to stop using chemical weapons. As the banagainst these weapons erodes, other tyrants will have noreason to think twice about acquiring poison gas, andusing them. Over time, our troops would again face theprospect of chemical warfare on the battlefield. And it

could be easier for terrorist organizations to obtain theseweapons, and to use them to attack civilians.

If fighting spills beyond Syrias borders, these weaponscould threaten allies like Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. And failure to stand against the use of chemical weapons woul

weaken prohibitions against other weapons of massdestruction, and embolden Assads ally, Iran -- whichmust decide whether to ignore international law by

building a nuclear weapon, or to take a more peacefulpath.

This is not a world we should accept. This is whats atstake. And that is why, after careful deliberation, I

determined that it is in the national security interests ofthe United States to respond to the Assad regimes use ofchemical weapons through a targeted military strike. Thepurpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from usingchemical weapons, to degrade his regimes ability to usethem, and to make clear to the world that we will nottolerate their use.

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Speech Transcript

Thats my judgment as Commander-in-Chief. But Im alsothe President of the worlds oldest constitutionaldemocracy. So even though I possess the authority toorder military strikes, I believed it was right, in theabsence of a direct or imminent threat to our security, totake this debate to Congress. I believe our democracy isstronger when the President acts with the support ofCongress. And I believe that America acts more effectivelyabroad when we stand together.

This is especially true after a decade that put more andmore war-making power in the hands of the President,and more and more burdens on the shoulders of ourtroops, while sidelining the peoples representatives from

the critical decisions about when we use force.

Now, I know that after the terrible toll of Iraq andAfghanistan, the idea of any military action, no matterhow limited, is not going to be popular. After all, Ive spentfour and a half years working to end wars, not to startthem. Our troops are out of Iraq. Our troops are cominghome from Afghanistan. And I know Americans want all ofus in Washington - especially me -- to concentrate on thetask of building our nation here at home: putting people

back to work, educating our kids, growing our middleclass.

Its no wonder, then, that youre asking hard questions. So

let me answer some of the most important questions thatIve heard from members of Congress, and that Ive readin letters that youve sent to me.

First, many of you have asked, wont this put us on aslippery slope to another war? One man wrote to me that

we are still recovering from our involvement in Iraq. Aveteran put it more bluntly: This nation is sick and tiredof war.

My answer is simple: I will not put American boots on theground in Syria. I will not pursue an open-ended actionlike Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged aircampaign like Libya or Kosovo. This would be a targetedstrike to achieve a clear objective: deterring the use ofchemical weapons, and degrading Assads capabilities.

Others have asked whether its worth acting if we donttake out Assad. As some members of Congress have said,theres no point in simply doing a pinprick strike inSyria.

Let me make something clear: The United States militarydoesnt do pinpricks. Even a limited strike will send amessage to Assad that no other nation can deliver. I dontthink we should remove another dictator with force -- welearned from Iraq that doing so makes us responsible forall that comes next. But a targeted strike can make Assad,or any other dictator, think twice before using chemical

weapons.

Other questions involve the dangers of retaliation. Wedont dismiss any threats, but the Assad regime does nothave the ability to seriously threaten our military. Anyother retaliation they might seek is in line with threatsthat we face every day. Neither Assad nor his allies have

any interest in escalation that would lead to his demise.And our ally, Israel, can defend itself with overwhelmingforce, as well as the unshakeable support of the UnitedStates of America.

Many of you have asked a broader question: Why shouldwe get involved at all in a place thats so complicated, andwhere -- as one person wrote to me -- those who comeafter Assad may be enemies of human rights?

Its true that some of Assads opponents are extremists.But al Qaeda will only draw strength in a more chaoticSyria if people there see the world doing nothing toprevent innocent civilians from being gassed to death. Th

majority of the Syrian people -- and the Syrian oppositionwe work with -- just want to live in peace, with dignity anfreedom. And the day after any military action, we wouldredouble our efforts to achieve a political solution thatstrengthens those who reject the forces of tyranny andextremism.

Finally, many of you have asked: Why not leave this toother countries, or seek solutions short of force? As severpeople wrote to me, We should not be the worldspoliceman.

I agree, and I have a deeply held preference for peacefulsolutions. Over the last two years, my administration hastried diplomacy and sanctions, warning and negotiations-- but chemical weapons were still used by the Assadregime.

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Speech Transcript

However, over the last few days, weve seen someencouraging signs. In part because of the credible threat ofU.S. military action, as well as constructive talks that I had

with President Putin, the Russian government hasindicated a willingness to join with the internationalcommunity in pushing Assad to give up his chemical

weapons. The Assad regime has now admitted that it hasthese weapons, and even said theyd join the Chemical

Weapons Convention, which prohibits their use.

Its too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and anyagreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps itscommitments. But this initiative has the potential toremove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of

force, particularly because Russia is one of Assadsstrongest allies.

I have, therefore, asked the leaders of Congress topostpone a vote to authorize the use of force while wepursue this diplomatic path. Im sending Secretary of StateJohn Kerry to meet his Russian counterpart on Thursday,and I will continue my own discussions with PresidentPutin. Ive spoken to the leaders of two of our closestallies, France and the United Kingdom, and we will worktogether in consultation with Russia and China to putforward a resolution at the U.N. Security Council requiring

Assad to give up his chemical weapons, and to ultimatelydestroy them under international control. Well also give

U.N. inspectors the opportunity to report their findingsabout what happened on August 21st. And we willcontinue to rally support from allies from Europe to the

Americas -- from Asia to the Middle East -- who agree onthe need for action.

Meanwhile, Ive ordered our military to maintain theircurrent posture to keep the pressure on Assad, and to bein a position to respond if diplomacy fails. And tonight, Igive thanks again to our military and their families fortheir incredible strength and sacrifices.

My fellow Americans, for nearly seven decades, the UnitedStates has been the anchor of global security. This has

meant doing more than forging international agreements-- it has meant enforcing them. The burdens of leadershipare often heavy, but the world is a better place because wehave borne them.

And so, to my friends on the right, I ask you to reconcileyour commitment to Americas military might with afailure to act when a cause is so plainly just. To my friends

on the left, I ask you to reconcile your belief in freedomand dignity for all people with those images of childrenwrithing in pain, and going still on a cold hospital floor.For sometimes resolutions and statements ofcondemnation are simply not enough.

Indeed, Id ask every member of Congress, and those ofyou watching at home tonight, to view those videos of theattack, and then ask: What kind of world will we live in ifthe United States of America sees a dictator brazenly

violate international law with poison gas, and we choose tlook the other way?

Franklin Roosevelt once said, Our national determinatio

to keep free of foreign wars and foreign entanglementscannot prevent us from feeling deep concern when idealsand principles that we have cherished are challenged. Ouideals and principles, as well as our national security, areat stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world

where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will nevebe used.

America is not the worlds policeman. Terrible thingshappen across the globe, and it is beyond our means toright every wrong. But when, with modest effort and risk,

we can stop children from being gassed to death, andthereby make our own children safer over the long run, I

believe we should act. Thats what makes America

different. Thats what makes us exceptional. Withhumility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of thatessential truth.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the UnitedStates of America.