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-
我刚刚发表讲话关于叙利亚使用化学武器。
在过去的两年里，在叙利亚，巴沙尔·阿萨德政权镇压和平示威，抗议开始变成一个残酷的内战，超过十万人已被杀害。
在这段时间里，我们一直与叙利亚人民的朋友和盟国提供人道主义支持，帮助叙利亚境内的温和反对派寻求政治解决。但我们已经拒绝采取军事行动，因为我们无法通过武力解决别人的内战。
这种情况，在8月21日凌晨深刻地改变了，当1000多名叙利亚人-包括数百名儿童在阿萨德政府发射的化学武器中死亡。
那些人怎吗啦？ ，对那些孩子们，这不仅是违反国际法的行为，它也是一个对我们的安全威胁，这是因为：
如果我们不采取行动，阿萨德政权将认为没有理由停止使用化学武器。由于对这些致命武器的禁令侵蚀，其他暴君和专制政权将有理由认为应该发展化武，并加倍利用他们。随着时间的推移，我们的部队可能在战场上面临化学战前景。这可能使恐怖组织更容易获得这些武器，并使用它们来攻击平民。如果这些化武在叙利亚的边界之外的蔓延，这些武器可能会威胁到我们在该地区的盟友。
因此，经过慎重考虑，我决定，基于美国的国家安全利益应对阿萨德政权使用化学武器，通过有针对性的军事打击。这次打击的目的是阻止阿萨德使用化学武器，以降低他的政权有能力使用他们，并明确向世界表明，我们不会容忍其使用。
虽然我有权限命令发起这些打击，在没有直接威胁到我们的安全，我认为，国会应该考虑我决定采取的行动。总统的行动获得国会的支持让我们的民主制度强大，当美国人站在一起，作为一个人。
在过去的几年里，作为这场辩论的展开，我们已经开始看到有迹象表明，美国的军事行动可能会产生实质的外交突破。俄罗斯政府已表示愿意与国际社会一道，推动阿萨德放弃他的化学武器，现在阿萨德政权已经承认拥有这些武器，甚至表示，他们会加入“化学武器公约”，禁止他们使用。
这个提议是否会成功还为时过早，任何协议必须验证阿萨德政权保持其承诺。但是，这一举措有可能消除化学武器的威胁，不使用武力。
这就是为什么我要求国会领导人推迟表决，授权使用武力，这是我们追求的外交路径。上周四我已经派国务卿约翰·克里会见俄罗斯外长，我也会继续和普京总统讨论。与此同时，我们将与我们最亲密的盟友-法国和英国-在联合国安理会提出一项决议，要求阿萨德放弃他的化学武器，并最终摧毁他们的国际控制。
同时，我已经下令我军维持其目前的姿态，以保持对阿萨德的压力，并随时待命，如果外交努力失败。今晚，我再次感谢我们的军队和他们的家人，因为难以置信的力量和牺牲。
随着我们继续讨论-在华盛顿，并在全国各地-我需要你的帮助，以确保每个人都明白的现在所有在进行的情况。
请与他人分享这个消息，以确保他们知道我的立场，以及他们如何能保持最新情况。任何人都可以找到叙利亚的最新信息，包括视频，今晚的地址，在这里：
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/syria
谢谢你，
美国总统奥巴马
