President Obama on Wednesday called on Europe to respond collectively to threats posed by terrorism and strains caused by Syrian refugees.
“Democracy is stronger than organizations like ISIL,” Obama said Wednesday at the Stavropol Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens.
The president praised Greece for its acceptance of thousands of refugees, noting the country has “inspired the world.” But he also said to applause that those actions don’t mean Greece alone can deal with the Syrian refugee crisis.
In a sweeping address about the value of embracing democracy, Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO, “the world’s greatest alliance.”
“Our trajectory as a country has been to support the efforts of those who believe in self-governance,” Obama said.
“It’s not just a matter of idealism,” he said. “I believe it is practical for the United States to support democracy.”
On the heels of his party’s resounding defeat last week in Congress and the White House, Obama acknowledged the fact that politicians of all stripes are often “unpopular” in democracies.
Obama implored people to continue to support democracy, “even if your candidate doesn’t win.”
“As you may have noticed, the next American president and I could not be more different,” he said. “American democracy is bigger than any one person.”
