Obama: We Cannot Give Into the ‘False Comfort’ of Isolationism

Thursday while speaking to the 2016 Graduates at the U.S. Air Force Academy Commencement Ceremony, President Barack Obama warned against falling into the “false comfort” of isolationism in a “globalized interconnected world.”

Obama said, “We are well-positioned. You enter this moment with a lot of good cards to play. But with a serious threats. Terrorist networks slaughter the innocent plot attacks against our nation. Civil wars like in Iraq tear countries apart and create humanitarian catastrophes and havens for terrorists. Russian aggression against Ukraine. disputes in the South China Sea. These are testing an international order that we build. Where the sovereignty of nations is respected in all nations abide by the same rules. Nuclear weapons in South Korea and the specter of nuclear terrorism still threatens us all. So how to meet these threats while also seizing the incredible opportunities of this moment in history, that is going to be your challenge.”

“The challenge of your generation,” he continued. “Which leads me to a second lesson. As we navigate this complex world, America cannot shirk the mantle of leadership. We cannot be isolationist. It is not possible in this globalized interconnected world. In these uncertain times, it is tempting sometimes to pull back. To try to wash our hands and complex and seem intractable. History teaches us from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 that oceans alone cannot protect us. Hateful ideologies can spark terror from Boston to San Bernardino. And in a global economy is not possible to stop trading goods and services with other countries. Weak public health systems on the other side of the world allow diseases to develop that end of reaching our shores. So we cannot turn inward. We cannot give into isolationism. that is a false comfort. allowing problems to fester over there makes us less secure. As Americans, we have to keep leading and working with others to build the security and prosperity.”