Good evening--
I just addressed the nation about the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Over the past two years, what began as a series of peaceful protests against the repressive regime of Bashar al-Assad has turned into a brutal civil war in Syria. Over100,000 people have been killed.
In that time, we have worked with friends and allies to provide humanitarian support for the Syrian people, to help the moderate opposition within Syria, and to shape a political settlement. But we have resisted calls for military action because we cannot resolve someone else's civil war through force.
The situation profoundly changed in the early hours of August21, when more than1,000 Syrians-- including hundreds of children-- were killed by chemical weapons launched by the Assad government.
What happened to those people-- to those children-- is not only a violation of international law-- it's also a danger to our security. Here's why:
If we fail to act, the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons. As the ban against these deadly weapons erodes, other tyrants and authoritarian regimes will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gases and using them. Over time, our troops could face the prospect of chemical warfare on the battlefield. It could be easier for terrorist organizations to obtain these weapons and use them to attack civilians. If fighting spills beyond Syria's borders, these weapons could threaten our allies in the region.
So after careful deliberation, I determined that it is in the national security interests of the United States to respond to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them, and make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use.
Though I possess the authority to order these strikes, in the absence of a direct threat to our security I believe that Congress should consider my decision to act. Our democracy is stronger when the President acts with the support of Congress-- and when Americans stand together as one people.
Over the last few days, as this debate unfolds, we've already begun to see signs that the credible threat of U.S. military action may produce a diplomatic breakthrough. The Russian government has indicated a willingness to join with the international community in pushing Assad to give up his chemical weapons and the Assad regime has now admitted that it has these weapons, and even said they'd join the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits their use.
It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force.
That's why I've asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic path. I'm sending Secretary of State John Kerry to meet his Russian counterpart on Thursday, and I will continue my own discussions with President Putin. At the same time, we'll work with two of our closest allies-- France and the United Kingdom-- to put forward a resolution at the U.N. Security Council requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons, and to ultimately destroy them under international control.
Meanwhile, I've ordered our military to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on Assad, and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails. And tonight, I give thanks again to our military and their families for their incredible strength and sacrifices.
As we continue this debate-- in Washington, and across the country-- I need your help to make sure that everyone understands the factors at play.
Please share this message with others to make sure they know where I stand, and how they can stay up to date on this situation. Anyone can find the latest information about the situation in Syria, including video of tonight's address, here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/syria
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
晚上好-
我剛剛發表講話關於敘利亞使用化學武器。
在過去的兩年裡，在敘利亞，巴沙爾·阿薩德政權鎮壓和平示威，抗議開始變成一個殘酷的內戰，超過十萬人已被殺害。
在這段時間裡，我們一直與敘利亞人民的朋友和盟國提供人道主義支持，幫助敘利亞境內的溫和反對派尋求政治解決。但我們已經拒絕採取軍事行動，因為我們無法通過武力解決別人的內戰。
這種情況，在8月21日凌晨深刻地改變了，當1000多名敘利亞人-包括數百名兒童在阿薩德政府發射的化學武器中死亡。
那些人怎嗎啦？ ，對那些孩子們，這不僅是違反國際法的行為，它也是一個對我們的安全威脅，這是因為：
如果我們不採取行動，阿薩德政權將認為沒有理由停止使用化學武器。由於對這些致命武器的禁令侵蝕，其他暴君和專制政權將有理由認為應該發展化武，並加倍利用他們。隨著時間的推移，我們的部隊可能在戰場上面臨化學戰前景。這可能使恐怖組織更容易獲得這些武器，並使用它們來攻擊平民。如果這些化武在敘利亞的邊界之外的蔓延，這些武器可能會威脅到我們在該地區的盟友。
因此，經過慎重考慮，我決定，基於美國的國家安全利益應對阿薩德政權使用化學武器，通過有針對性的軍事打擊。這次打擊的目的是阻止阿薩德使用化學武器，以降低他的政權有能力使用他們，並明確向世界表明，我們不會容忍其使用。
雖然我有權限命令發起這些打擊，在沒有直接威脅到我們的安全，我認為，國會應該考慮我決定採取的行動。總統的行動獲得國會的支持讓我們的民主制度強大，當美國人站在一起，作為一個人。
在過去的幾年裡，作為這場辯論的展開，我們已經開始看到有跡象表明，美國的軍事行動可能會產生實質的外交突破。俄羅斯政府已表示願意與國際社會一道，推動阿薩德放棄他的化學武器，現在阿薩德政權已經承認擁有這些武器，甚至表示，他們會加入「化學武器公約」，禁止他們使用。
這個提議是否會成功還為時過早，任何協議必須驗證阿薩德政權保持其承諾。但是，這一舉措有可能消除化學武器的威脅，不使用武力。
這就是為什麼我要求國會領導人推遲表決，授權使用武力，這是我們追求的外交路徑。上周四我已經派國務卿約翰·克里會見俄羅斯外長，我也會繼續和普京總統討論。與此同時，我們將與我們最親密的盟友-法國和英國-在聯合國安理會提出一項決議，要求阿薩德放棄他的化學武器，並最終摧毀他們的國際控制。
同時，我已經下令我軍維持其目前的姿態，以保持對阿薩德的壓力，並隨時待命，如果外交努力失敗。今晚，我再次感謝我們的軍隊和他們的家人，因為難以置信的力量和犧牲。
隨著我們繼續討論-在華盛頓，並在全國各地-我需要你的幫助，以確保每個人都明白的現在所有在進行的情況。
請與他人分享這個消息，以確保他們知道我的立場，以及他們如何能保持最新情況。任何人都可以找到敘利亞的最新信息，包括視頻，今晚的地址，在這裡：
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/syria
謝謝你，
美國總統歐巴馬
