Brain Contour

Pres. Barack Obama gave a historic speech today — his first address to the UN General Assembly as a President. Obama did not mention plans about Afghanistan and his efforts to contain the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. Instead, he challenges world leaders to do their part in keeping world peace and security rather than rely solely on America. Is this a sign of Obama’s government wavering on its counterinsurgency campaign in the war-torn Afghanistan?

Here is Obama’s speech (full text), as prepared for delivery. Below is the video via MSNBC.

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentleman: it is my honor to address you for the first time as the forty-fourth President of the United States. I come before you humbled by the responsibility that the American people have placed upon me; mindful of the enormous challenges of our moment in history; and determined to act boldly and collectively on behalf of justice and prosperity at home and abroad.

I have been in office for just nine months, though some days it seems a lot longer. I am well aware of the expectations that accompany my presidency around the world. These expectations are not about me. Rather, they are rooted – I believe – in a discontent with a status quo that has allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences, and outpaced by our problems. But they are also rooted in hope – the hope that real change is possible, and the hope that America will be a leader in bringing about such change.