Ahead of his India visit, President Barack Obama has put out a blunt message to terrorists wherever they may be that America will hunt them down and dismantle their networks, reserving its “right to act unilaterally” in order to protect itself and its allies.
On a day when the dreaded ISIS released an online video threatening to kill two Japanese hostages if it was not paid $200 million in ransom, Obama used his annual State of the Union address to strongly reiterate his resolve to “degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group”.
“This effort will take time. It will require focus. But we will succeed,” he said, asking the US Congress to pass a resolution to authorise the use of force against ISIS. “We stand united with people around the world who’ve been targeted by terrorists – from a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris,” he said.
Obama, however, defended his decision to withdraw forces from Iraq earlier and Afghanistan now, save for 10,000-odd troops retained in a non-combat role. “We’ve learned some costly lessons over the last thirteen years,” he said, noting: “Instead of sending large ground forces overseas, we’re partnering with nations from South Asia to North Africa to deny safe haven to terrorists who threaten America.”
Even while seeking Congressional authorisation for use of force against ISIS, Obama claimed successes of the American leadership and military power in stopping the militant outfit’s advance in Iraq and Syria, along with the help of a broad coalition, including Arab nations.
On the domestic front, Obama touted the buoyancy achieved by America in recent months, with a strong recovery from what has been a historic recession. “Tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis,” he said.
Obama’s assertions came on a day when the International Monetary Fund raised America’s growth projection by 0.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent for 2015, while lowering the forecast for most of the advanced nations.
“The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong,” he said, stressing, “We believed we could reverse the tide of outsourcing, and draw new jobs to our shores. And over the past five years, our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs.”
Since 2010, America has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and all advanced economies combined, he said, noting that the country’s bedrock sectors, including the once-sick auto industry that had to be bailed out, are now booming. And America today has emerged as number one in oil, gas and wind power.
laying out an ambitious plan for middle class uplift, made up of proposals that have already been slammed by the Republican majority, Obama quizzed, “Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly wellIJ Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effortIJ”
While the ideas will be formally included in his budget proposals to be sent to the Congress in two weeks, Obama made the case for hiking taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations in order to fund programmes that benefit middle class Americans.
“For far too long, lobbyists have rigged the tax code with loopholes that let some corporations pay nothing while others pay full freight,” he said, adding: “This year, we have an opportunity to change that. let’s close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest in America. let’s use those savings to rebuild our infrastructure and make it more attractive for companies to bring jobs home.”