Obama spoke about the progress in the fight against the “Islamic State” and advised his successor

US President Barack Obama gave a great interview National Public Radio (NPR)in which he touched on the fight against terrorism, the political and economic situation in the United States.

“Forum” collected the main statements of the head of state.

On combating terrorism

Obama expressed confidence that before his resignation from the presidency in 2017, “significant progress” would be achieved in the process of fighting terrorism, in particular, with the terrorist group ISIL.

“It is very important that we continue to look at things soberly, this [ISIS] is not an organization that can destroy the United States. It is not a huge industrial power that poses serious risks to us at the institutional or systematic level. But they can harm us, they can harm our people, our families. So I understand why people are concerned,” the president said.

About successor

When asked about who will occupy the oval office in January 2017, the president expressed confidence in the victory of the candidate from the Democratic Party. He also believes that the Democrats have good chances to regain control of the Senate, where the majority at the moment belongs to the Republicans.

The president also gave a speech to his successor regarding US foreign policy.

“What I would say to my successor is that it is important to aim as well as shoot, and in this position it is important to make sure that you are making the best decision possible based on the intelligence and information received from commanders and those working in the field, and also that political considerations do not influence this decision,” Obama emphasized.

About the results of 2015 of the year

Responding to a question about the outcome of the year, which was marked by high-profile social decisions on the legalization of same-sex marriage and discussions around the problem of refugees from the Middle East, Obama said that the United States is largely changing for the better.

As an example, he cited his teenage daughters, who, as representatives of the younger generation, "are more tolerant and friendly toward people who are somewhat different from them."

The President acknowledged that, due to demographic changes and economic problems, many people, especially members of the working class, are finding it harder to adapt to new economic conditions, which, he said, creates the basis for outrage and fear.

“In some cases, these feelings are justified, but directed to the wrong address. I think people like Mr. Trump are taking advantage of this. That’s what he appeals to in his campaign, ”Obama said.

About criticism

The president acknowledged that criticism of his administration is sometimes quite reasonable, and most often it is related to the fact that the White House does not always properly inform about its actions.

However, Obama added that often Republican presidential candidates criticize him, in their opinion, soft actions in the international arena, while not offering the best steps, which shows that they do not know how to behave in his post.

“Whom will you bomb? Where are you going to strike? When you talk about things like carpet bombing, what do you mean? ”The president asked them.

About climate

Climate Change Agreement, which is more 190 countries previously signed in Paris, according to Obama, does not solve the problem of rising global average temperatures, but is a step in the right direction. As part of these efforts, the president developed a plan to limit emissions at US power plants and increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

He added that these of his initiatives faced resistance from Republicans.

“Do not forget that the Republican Party in the United States is perhaps the only major party in the developed world that still denies the problem of climate change,” he recalled, calling such a position “extremely dangerous.”

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