THEPRESIDENT:YourMajesties,YourRoyalHighnesses,membersoftheNorwegianNobelCommittee,citizensofcitizensoftheworld:

distinguishedAmerica,and

Ireceivethishonorwithdeepgratitudeandgreathumility.

Itisanaward

thatspeakstoourhighestaspirations--thatforallthecrueltyandhardshipofourworld,wearenotmereprisonersoffate.Ouractionsmatter,andcanbendhistoryinthedirectionofjustice.

AndyetIwouldberemissifIdidnotacknowledgetheconsiderable

controversythatyourgenerousdecisionhasgenerated.(Laughter.)In

part,this

isbecauseI

amat

the

beginning,

andnotthe

end,ofmylabors

ontheworldstage.Comparedtosomeofthegiantsofhistorywho

’ve

receivedthisprize--SchweitzerandKing;MarshallandMandela--my

accomplishmentsareslight.Andthentherearethemenandwomenaround

theworld

whohavebeenjailed

andbeatenin

thepursuit

ofjustice;

those

whotoilinhumanitarianorganizationstorelievesuffering;the

unrecognizedmillions

whosequiet

actsofcourageandcompassioninspire

eventhemosthardenedcynics.Icannotarguewiththosewhofindthese

menandwomen--someknown,someobscuretoallbutthosetheyhelp--

tobefarmoredeservingofthishonorthanI.

Butperhapsthemostprofound

issuesurroundingmyreceiptofthisprize

isthefactthatIamtheCommander-in-Chiefofthemilitaryofanation

isaconflictthatAmericadidnotseek;oneinwhichwearejoinedby

42othercountries--including

Norway--inanefforttodefendourselves

andallnationsfromfurtherattacks.

Still,weareatwar,andI’mresponsibleforthedeploymentofthousands

ofyoungAmericanstobattleinadistantland.Somewillkill,andsome

willbekilled.AndsoIcomeherewithanacutesenseofthecostsof

armedconflict--filledwithdifficultquestionsabouttherelationship

betweenwarandpeace,andourefforttoreplaceonewiththeother.

Nowthesequestionsarenotnew.War,inoneformoranother,appeared

withthefirstman.Atthedawnofhistory,itsmoralitywasnotquestioned;itwassimplyafact,likedroughtordisease--themannerinwhichtribesandthencivilizationssoughtpowerandsettledtheirdifferences.

Andovertime,ascodesoflawsoughttocontrolviolencewithingroups,sodidphilosophersandclericsandstatesmenseektoregulatethedestructivepowerofwar.Theconceptofa“justwar”emerged,

suggestingthatwarisjustifiedonlywhencertainconditionsweremet:ifitiswagedasalastresortorinself-defense;iftheforceusedisproportional;andif,wheneverpossible,civiliansaresparedfromviolence.

Ofcourse,weknowthatfor

mostofhistory,

this

concept

of

“just

war”

wasrarelyobserved.Thecapacityofhumanbeingstothinkupnewways

tokilloneanotherprovedinexhaustible,asdidourcapacitytoexempt

frommercythosewholookdifferentorpraytoadifferentGod.Wars

betweenarmiesgavewaytowarsbetweennations--totalwarsinwhich

thedistinction

betweencombatantandcivilian

becameblurred.

Inthespan

of30years,suchcarnagewouldtwiceengulfthiscontinent.Andwhile

it’shardtoconceiveofacausemorejustthanthedefeatoftheThird

Reichandthe

Axis

powers,

WorldWarIIwasaconflictin

whichthe

total

numberofcivilians

whodiedexceededthenumberof

soldiers

whoperished.

Inthewakeofsuchdestruction,andwiththeadventofthenuclearage,itbecamecleartovictorandvanquishedalikethattheworldneeded

institutionstopreventanotherworldwar.Andso,aquartercenturyaftertheUnitedStatesSenaterejectedtheLeagueofNations--anideafor

whichWoodrowWilsonreceivedthisprize--Americaledtheworldinconstructinganarchitecturetokeepthepeace:aMarshallPlanandaUnitedNations,mechanismstogovernthewagingofwar,treatiestoprotecthumanrights,preventgenocide,restrictthemostdangerousweapons.

Inmanyways,theseefforts

succeeded.Yes,terrible

warshavebeenfought,

andatrocities

committed.

ButtherehasbeennoThirdWorldWar.TheCold

Warendedwith

jubilantcrowdsdismantling

awall.

Commercehasstitched

idealsoflibertyandself-determination,equalityandtheruleoflaw

havehaltingly

advanced.Wearetheheirs

ofthefortitudeandforesight

ofgenerationspast,anditisalegacyforwhichmyowncountryisrightfullyproud.

Andyet,adecadeintoanewcentury,thisoldarchitectureisbucklingundertheweightofnewthreats.Theworldmaynolongershudderattheprospectofwarbetweentwonuclearsuperpowers,butproliferationmayincreasetheriskofcatastrophe.Terrorismhaslongbeenatactic,butmoderntechnologyallowsafewsmallmenwithoutsizedragetomurderinnocentsonahorrificscale.

Moreover,warsbetweennationshaveincreasinglygivenwaytowarswithinnations.Theresurgenceofethnicorsectarianconflicts;thegrowthof

secessionistmovements,insurgencies,andfailedstates--allthese

thingshaveincreasinglytrappedciviliansinunendingchaos.Intoday’s

wars,manymoreciviliansarekilledthansoldiers;theseedsoffutureconflictaresown,economiesarewrecked,civilsocietiestornasunder,refugeesamassed,childrenscarred.

Idonotbringwithmetoday

adefinitive

solution

totheproblemsof

war.

WhatIdoknowisthatmeetingthesechallengeswillrequirethesame

vision,hardwork,andpersistenceofthosemenandwomenwhoactedso

boldlydecadesago.Andit

willrequire

ustothink

innewwaysabout

the

notionsofjustwarandtheimperativesofajustpeace.

Wemustbeginbyacknowledgingthehardtruth:Wewillnoteradicateviolentconflictinourlifetimes.Therewillbetimeswhennations--actingindividuallyorinconcert--willfindtheuseofforcenotonlynecessarybutmorallyjustified.

ImakethisstatementmindfulofwhatMartinLutherKingJr.saidinthis

sameceremonyyearsago:“Violenceneverbringspermanentpeace.It

solvesnosocialproblem:itmerelycreatesnewandmorecomplicated

ones.”AssomeonewhostandshereasadirectconsequenceofDr.King’s

lifework,Iamlivingtestimonytothemoralforceofnon-violence.I

knowthere’snothingweak--nothingpassive--nothingnave--inthe

creedandlivesofGandhiandKing.

Butasaheadofstatesworntoprotectanddefendmynation,Icannotbeguidedbytheirexamplesalone.Ifacetheworldasitis,andcannotstandidleinthefaceofthreatstotheAmericanpeople.Formakenomistake:Evildoesexistintheworld.Anon-violentmovementcouldnot

havehaltedHitler’sarmies.NegotiationscannotconvincealQaeda’s

leaderstolaydowntheirarms.Tosaythatforcemaysometimesbenecessaryisnotacalltocynicism--itisarecognitionofhistory;theimperfectionsofmanandthelimitsofreason.

Iraisethispoint,Ibeginwiththispointbecauseinmanycountriesthereisadeepambivalenceaboutmilitaryactiontoday,nomatterwhatthecause.Andattimes,thisisjoinedbyareflexivesuspicionofAmerica,theworld’ssolemilitarysuperpower.

Buttheworldmustrememberthatitwasnotsimplyinternational

institutions--notjusttreatiesanddeclarations--thatbrought

stabilitytoapost-WorldWarIIworld.Whatevermistakeswehavemade,

theplain

fact

is

this:

TheUnited

StatesofAmericahashelpedunderwrite

globalsecurityformore

thansixdecadeswith

thebloodof

ourcitizens

andthestrengthofourarms.Theserviceandsacrificeofourmenand

womenin

uniform

haspromotedpeaceandprosperity

fromGermanyto

Korea,

andenableddemocracytotakeholdinplacesliketheBalkans.Wehave

bornethisburdennotbecauseweseektoimposeourwill.Wehavedone

sooutofenlightenedself-interest--becauseweseekabetterfuture

forourchildren

andgrandchildren,

andwebelieve

thattheirlives

will

bebetter

if

others’childrenandgrandchildren

canlivein

freedomand

prosperity.

Soyes,theinstrumentsofwardohavearoletoplayinpreservingthe

peace.Andyetthis

truth

mustcoexist

withanother

--that

nomatter

how

justified,warpromiseshumantragedy.Thesoldier

’scourageand

sacrificeisfull

ofglory,

expressing

devotionto

country,

tocause,

to

comradesinarms.Butwaritselfisneverglorious,andwemustnever

trumpetitassuch.

Sopartofourchallengeisreconcilingthesetwoseeminglyinreconcilable

truths--thatwarissometimesnecessary,andwaratsomelevelisan

expressionofhumanfolly.Concretely,wemustdirectourefforttothe

taskthatPresidentKennedycalledforlongago.“Letusfocus,”hesaid,

“onamorepractical,moreattainablepeace,basednotonasudden

revolutioninhumannaturebutonagradualevolutioninhuman

institutions.”Agradualevolutionofhumaninstitutions.

WhatmightthisevolutionlooklikeWhatmightthesepracticalstepsbe

Tobeginwith,Ibelievethatallnations--strongandweakalike--must

adheretostandardsthatgoverntheuseofforce.I--likeanyheadof

state--reservetherighttoactunilaterallyifnecessarytodefendmy

nation.Nevertheless,Iamconvincedthatadheringtostandards,

internationalstandards,strengthensthosewhodo,andisolatesand

weakensthosewhodon’t.

TheworldralliedaroundAmericaafterthe9/11attacks,andcontinuestosupportoureffortsinAfghanistan,becauseofthehorrorofthose

senselessattacksandtherecognizedprincipleofself-defense.Likewise,theworldrecognizedtheneedtoconfrontSaddamHusseinwhenheinvaded

Kuwait--aconsensusthatsentaclearmessagetoallaboutthecostofaggression.

Furthermore,America--infact,nonation--caninsistthatothersfollowtherulesoftheroadifwerefusetofollowthemourselves.Forwhenwe

don’t,ouractionsappeararbitraryandundercutthelegitimacyoffutureinterventions,nomatterhowjustified.

Andthisbecomesparticularlyimportantwhenthepurposeofmilitaryactionextendsbeyondself-defenseorthedefenseofonenationagainstanaggressor.Moreandmore,weallconfrontdifficultquestionsabouthowtopreventtheslaughterofciviliansbytheirowngovernment,stopacivilwarwhoseviolenceandsufferingcanengulfanentire

orto

region.

Ibelievethatforcecanbejustifiedonhumanitariangrounds,asitwas

intheBalkans,orinotherplacesthathavebeenscarredbywar.Inaction

tearsatourconscienceandcanleadtomorecostlyinterventionlater.

That’swhyallresponsiblenationsmustembracetherolethatmilitaries

withaclearmandatecanplaytokeepthepeace.

America’scommitmenttoglobalsecuritywillneverwaver.Butinaworld

inwhichthreatsaremorediffuse,andmissionsmorecomplex,America

istruein

Afghanistan.ThisistrueinfailedstateslikeSomalia,whereterrorism

andpiracyisjoinedbyfamineandhumansuffering.Andsadly,itwillcontinuetobetrueinunstableregionsforyearstocome.

Theleadersandsoldiers

ofNATOcountries,andotherfriends

andallies,

demonstratethistruththroughthecapacityandcouragethey

’veshown

inAfghanistan.Butin

manycountries,

thereisadisconnect

betweenthe

effortsofthosewhoserveandtheambivalenceofthebroaderpublic.I

understandwhywarisnotpopular,butIalsoknowthis:Thebeliefthat

peaceisdesirableisrarelyenoughtoachieveit.Peacerequires

’swhyNATOcontinuesto

beindispensable.That

’swhywemuststrengthen.andre

gional

peacekeeping,andnotleavethetasktoafewcountries.That’swhywehonorthosewhoreturnhomefrompeacekeepingandtrainingabroadtoOslo

andRome;toOttawaandSydney;toDhakaandKigali--wehonorthemnotasmakersofwar,butofwagers--butaswagersofpeace.

Letmemakeonefinalpointabouttheuseofforce.Evenaswemake

difficultdecisionsaboutgoingtowar,wemustalsothinkclearlyabout

howwefightit.TheNobelCommitteerecognizedthistruthinawarding

itsfirstprizeforpeacetoHenryDunant--thefounderoftheRedCross,

andadrivingforcebehindtheGenevaConventions.

Whereforceisnecessary,wehaveamoralandstrategic

interest

in

binding

ourselvestocertainrulesofconduct.

Andevenasweconfrontavicious

adversarythatabidesbynorules,

Ibelieve

the

UnitedStates

of

America

mustremainastandardbearerintheconductofwar.Thatiswhatmakes

usdifferentfromthosewhomwefight.Thatisasourceofourstrength.

ThatiswhyIprohibitedtorture.ThatiswhyIorderedtheprisonat

GuantanamoBayclosed.AndthatiswhyIhavereaffirmedAmerica

’s

commitmenttoabidebytheGenevaConventions.

Weloseourselves

whenwe

compromisetheveryidealsthatwefighttodefend.(Applause.)Andwe

honor--wehonorthoseidealsbyupholding

themnot

whenit’seasy,but

whenitishard.

Ihavespokenatsomelengthtothequestionthatmustweighonourmindsandourheartsaswechoosetowagewar.Butletmenowturntoourefforttoavoidsuchtragicchoices,andspeakofthreewaysthatwecanbuildajustandlastingpeace.

First,indealingwiththosenationsthatbreakrulesandlaws,Ibelieve

thatwemustdevelopalternativestoviolencethataretoughenoughto

actuallychangebehavior--forifwewantalastingpeace,thenthewords

oftheinternationalcommunitymustmeansomething.Thoseregimesthat

breaktherulesmustbeheldaccountable.Sanctionsmustexactarealprice.

Intransigencemustbemetwithincreasedpressure--andsuchpressure

existsonlywhentheworldstandstogetherasone.

policy.AndI’mworkingwithPresidentMedvedevtoreduceAmericaandRussia’snuclearstockpiles.

ButitisalsoincumbentuponallofustoinsistthatnationslikeIranandNorthKoreadonotgamethesystem.Thosewhoclaimtorespectinternationallawcannotaverttheireyeswhenthoselawsareflouted.

ThosewhocarefortheirownsecuritycannotignorethedangerofanarmsraceintheMiddleEastorEastAsia.Thosewhoseekpeacecannotstandidlybyasnationsarmthemselvesfornuclearwar.

Thesameprincipleappliestothosewhoviolateinternationallawsby

brutalizingtheirownpeople.WhenthereisgenocideinDarfur,systematic

rapeinCongo,repressioninBurma--theremustbeconsequences.Yes,

therewillbeengagement;yes,therewillbediplomacy--buttheremust

beconsequenceswhenthosethingsfail.Andthecloserwestandtogether,

thelesslikelywewillbefacedwiththechoicebetweenarmedinterventionandcomplicityinoppression.

basedontheinherentrightsanddignityofeveryindividualcantrulybelasting.

ItwasthisinsightthatdrovedraftersoftheUniversalDeclarationof

HumanRightsaftertheSecondWorldWar.Inthewakeofdevastation,theyrecognizedthatifhumanrightsarenotprotected,peaceisahollowpromise.

Andyettoooften,thesewordsareignored.Forsomecountries,thefailure

toupholdhumanrightsisexcusedbythefalsesuggestionthattheseare

somehowWesternprinciples,foreigntolocalculturesorstagesofa

nation’sdevelopment.AndwithinAmerica,therehaslongbeenatension

betweenthosewhodescribethemselvesasrealistsoridealists--a

tensionthatsuggestsastarkchoicebetweenthenarrowpursuitof

interestsoranendlesscampaigntoimposeourvaluesaroundtheworld.

Irejectthesechoices.Ibelievethatpeaceisunstablewherecitizens

aredeniedtherighttospeakfreelyorworshipastheyplease;choose

theirownleadersorassemblewithoutfear.Pent-upgrievancesfester,

andthesuppressionoftribalandreligiousidentitycanleadtoviolence.

Wealsoknowthattheoppositeistrue.OnlywhenEuropebecamefreedid

itfinallyfindpeace.Americahasneverfoughtawaragainstademocracy,

andourclosestfriendsaregovernmentsthatprotecttherightsoftheir

citizens.Nomatterhowcallouslydefined,neitherAmerica’sinterests

--northeworld’s--areservedbythedenialofhumanaspirations.

Soevenaswerespecttheuniquecultureandtraditionsofdifferent

countries,

Americawill

alwaysbeavoiceforthose

aspirationsthat

are

universal.Wewillbearwitnesstothequietdignityofreformerslike

AungSangSuuKyi;tothebraveryofZimbabweanswhocasttheirballots

inthefaceofbeatings;tothehundredsofthousandswhohavemarched

silentlythroughthestreetsofIran.Itistellingthattheleadersof

thesegovernments

feartheaspirations

oftheirownpeoplemorethan

the

powerof

anyother

nation.

Anditisthe

responsibility

ofallfreepeople

andfreenationstomakeclearthatthesemovements--thesemovementsofhopeandhistory--theyhaveusontheirside.

Letmealsosaythis:Thepromotionofhumanrightscannotbeabout

exhortationalone.Attimes,itmustbecoupledwithpainstakingdiplomacy.Iknowthatengagementwithrepressiveregimeslacksthesatisfyingpurity

ofindignation.ButIalsoknowthatsanctionswithoutoutreach--condemnationwithoutdiscussion--cancarryforwardonlyacripplingstatusquo.Norepressiveregimecanmovedownanewpathunlessithasthechoiceofanopendoor.

Inlight

oftheCultural

Revolution

’shorrors,

Nixon’smeetingwithMao

appearedinexcusable--

andyet

it

surely

helpedsetChinaonapathwhere

millionsofitscitizenshavebeenliftedfrompovertyandconnectedto

opensocieties.PopeJohnPaul

’sengagementwithPolandcreatedspace

notjust

fortheCatholic

Church,

butfor

labor

leaderslikeLechWalesa.

RonaldReagan’seffortsonarmscontrolandembraceofperestroikanot

onlyimprovedrelationswiththeSovietUnion,butempowereddissidents

throughoutEasternEurope.There

’snosimpleformulahere.Butwemust

tryasbestwecantobalanceisolationandengagement,pressureandincentives,sothathumanrightsanddignityareadvancedovertime.

Third,ajustpeaceincludesnotonlycivilandpoliticalrights--it

mustencompasseconomicsecurityandopportunity.Fortruepeaceisnotjustfreedomfromfear,butfreedomfromwant.

Itisundoubtedlytruethatdevelopmentrarelytakesroot

withoutsecurity;

itisalsotruethatsecuritydoesnotexistwherehumanbeingsdonot

haveaccesstoenoughfood,orcleanwater,orthemedicineandshelter

theyneedtosurvive.Itdoesnotexistwherechildrencan

’taspireto

adecenteducationorajobthatsupportsafamily.Theabsenceofhopecanrotasocietyfromwithin.

Andthat’swhyhelpingfarmersfeedtheir

ownpeople--

ornationseducate

theirchildrenandcareforthesick--

isnotmerecharity.It

’salso

whytheworldmustcometogethertoconfrontclimatechange.Thereis

little

scientific

disputethatifwedonothing,wewill

face

moredrought,

morefamine,moremassdisplacement--all

ofwhichwill

fuel

moreconflict

fordecades.Forthisreason,itisnotmerelyscientistsand

environmentalactivistswhocallforswiftandforcefulaction--

it’s

militaryleadersinmyowncountryandotherswhounderstandourcommonsecurityhangsinthebalance.

humanrights.

Investmentsindevelopment.Allthesearevitalingredientsinbringing

abouttheevolutionthatPresidentKennedyspokeabout.Andyet,Idonot

believethatwewillhavethewill,thedetermination,thestayingpower,

tocompletethisworkwithoutsomethingmore--andthat’sthecontinued

expansionofourmoralimagination;aninsistencethatthere’ssomethingirreduciblethatweallshare.

Astheworldgrowssmaller,youmightthinkitwouldbeeasierforhuman

beingstorecognizehowsimilarweare;tounderstandthatwe’reall

basicallyseekingthesamethings;thatweallhopeforthechancetolive

outourliveswithsomemeasureofhappinessandfulfillmentforourselves

andourfamilies.

Andyetsomehow,giventhedizzyingpaceofglobalization,thecultural

levelingofmodernity,itperhapscomesasnosurprisethatpeoplefear

thelossofwhattheycherishintheirparticularidentities--theirrace,

theirtribe,andperhapsmostpowerfullytheirreligion.Insomeplaces,

thisfearhasledtoconflict.Attimes,itevenfeelslikewe’removing

backwards.WeseeitintheMiddleEast,astheconflictbetweenArabsandJewsseemstoharden.Weseeitinnationsthataretornasunderbytriballines.

Andmostdangerously,

weseeit

in

thewaythatreligion

isusedtojustify

themurderof

innocents

bythose

whohavedistorted

anddefiled

the

great

religionofIslam,andwhoattackedmycountryfromAfghanistan.These

extremistsarenotthefirsttokillinthenameofGod;thecruelties

oftheCrusadesareamplyrecorded.ButtheyremindusthatnoHolyWar

caneverbeajustwar.Forifyoutrulybelievethatyouarecarrying

outdivinewill,thenthereisnoneedforrestraint--noneedtospare

thepregnant

mother,orthemedic,ortheRedCrossworker,orevenaperson

ofone’sownfaith.Suchawarpedviewofreligionisnotjust

incompatible

withthe

concept

of

peace,butIbelieveit

’sincompatible

withthevery

purpose

of

faith

--

fortheonerule

that

liesat

the

heart

ofeverymajorreligionisthatwedountoothersaswewouldhavethemdountous.

Adheringtothislawoflovehasalwaysbeenthecore