With the world watching, President Barack Obama today took an apparent swipe at Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, in his eighth and final address to the United Nations General Assembly as commander in chief. 
 
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 "Today a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself," Obama warned, without naming the Republican presidential nominee. 
 
 Obama further cautioning against "the same forces of global integration" that have made democracies interdependent while exposing "deep fault lines in the existing international order" like gaps between the rich and poor created by capitalism throughout the world. 
 
 He made two other references to the ineffectiveness of walls in stopping global forces, quipping in an apparent reference to the Zika virus that "mosquitoes don't respect walls" and saying of terrorism that "the world is simply too small to be able to build a wall and stop it from affecting our own societies." 
 
 Though he never directly addressed the U.S. presidential election, Obama's message for the General Assembly was in many ways applicable to the impulses raging in the race, citing "a contest between authoritarianism and democracy right now" and an appeal for a top-down "strongman model." 
 
 Obama rejected such tendencies. "History shows that strongmen are then left with two paths," he said. "Permanent crackdown, which sparks strife at home, or scapegoating enemies abroad, which can lead to war." 
 
 Speaking about the big picture, the Obama recounted the progress made during his presidency, on issues such as the global financial crisis, international terrorism and re-establishing relations with Cuba. 
 
 "This is important work," he stressed. "It has made a real difference in the lives of our people, and it could not have happened had we not worked together." 
 
 Obama said nations "can choose to press forward with a better model of cooperation and integration" or "retreat into a world sharply divided and ultimately in conflict along age-old lines of nation and tribe and race and religion." 
 
 "I want to suggest to you today that we must go forward and not backward," he said, although he added that doing so would require nations of the world to "acknowledge that the existing path to global integration requires a course correction." 
 
 "The answer cannot be a simple rejection of global integration," Obama said. "Instead, we must work together to make sure the benefits of such integration are broadly shared and that the disruptions — economic, political and cultural — that are caused by integration are squarely addressed." 
 
 
 
 Obama demanded that democracies of the world "speak out forcefully" for "freedom and dignity." 
 
 "A world in which 1 percent of the economy controls the other 99 percent will never be stable," he said. "These are the policies I've pursued in the United States, and with clear results" — touting progress in job creation, cutting poverty, improving infrastructure and investing in childhood education. 
 
 His speech came as fighting in Syria has resumed after the Syrian military declared Monday an end to the fragile cease-fire deal that was brokered between the U.S. and Russia just over a week ago. 
 
 "Together now we have to open our hearts and do more to help refugees who are desperate for a home. We should all welcome the pledges of increased assistance that have been made at this General Assembly gathering," Obama said. "There's a lot of nations right now that are doing the right thing, but many nations — particularly those blessed with wealth and the benefits of geography — that can do more to offer a hand." 
 
 In the same month that North Korea conducted its second nuclear test of the year, Obama highlighted the benefits of free markets over markets resisting influence from globalization. 
 
 "We cannot unwind integration any more than we can stuff technology back into a box, nor can we look to failed models of the past. If we start resorting to trade wars, market distorting subsidies, overreliance on national resources instead of innovation, these approaches will make us poor collectively, and they're more likely to lead to conflict," he said. 
 
 "And the stark contrast between, say, the success of the Republic of Korea and the wasteland of North Korea shows that central plan to control the economy is a dead end," Obama said. ||||| Obama warns against strongman governments 
 
 Making his case against nationalistic and anti-immigration movements that have grown both in the U.S. and around the globe, President Barack Obama told the United Nations general assembly Tuesday that “today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself.” 
 
 Obama’s remark appeared to be an allusion to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has campaigned hard against the president’s record and has pledged to build a wall along America’s southern border with Mexico. In his final address as president before the United Nations general assembly, Obama was critical of the isolationist movement that Trump has championed in the U.S. and others have pushed abroad. 
 
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 “As these real problems have been neglected, alternative visions of the world have pressed forward, both in the wealthiest countries and in the poorest,” Obama said after discussing economic inequality and other international issues. “Religious fundamentalism, the politics of ethnicity or tribe or sect, aggressive nationalism, a crude populism, sometimes from the far left but more often from the far right, which seeks to restore what they believe was a better, simpler age free of outside contamination. We cannot dismiss these visions. They are powerful. They reflect dissatisfaction among too many of our citizens. ” 
 
 “Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself,” the president continued. “So the answer cannot be a simple rejection of global integration. Instead, we must work together to make sure the benefits of such integration are broadly shared.” 
 
 The president led his speech with a celebration of global accomplishments to which the U.S. has been party during his administration, listing the reduction of terrorists’ safe havens, the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran and the resumption of diplomatic relations with Cuba as successes. 
 
 But Obama also listed global problems like the flow of refugees, continued financial disruptions, and a lack of basic order and security in the Middle East. The president urged the international community “that we must go forwards and not backwards,” offering a defense of Western values as the best path forward for global growth and success. 
 
 “I believe that as imperfect as they are, the principles of open markets and accountable governance, of democracy and human rights and international law that we have forged remain the firmest foundation for human progress in this century,” Obama said. “I make this argument not based on theory or ideology but on facts.” 
 
 In making that case, Obama warned against strongman governments and oppressive tactics like media suppression. He said such strategies are stifling for economies hungry for information and ultimately lead to further crackdowns or the scapegoating of foreign enemies that can lead to war. 
 
 Speaking specifically of the Middle East, Obama called for the recognition of a “common humanity” that would serve as a stepping stone toward resolving the various conflicts in the region. Again attacking isolationism, Obama said the rest of the world cannot turn its back on conflict in the Middle East in the hope that violence will be contained to the region. 
 
 “Until basic questions are answered about how communities coexist, the embers of extremism will continue to burn, countless human beings will suffer, most of all in that region, but extremism will continue to be exported overseas,” he said. “And the world is too small for us to simply be able to build a wall and prevent it from affecting our own societies.” ||||| President Obama strongly defended a globalized, interconnected world in his final speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, arguing that open markets, capitalism and democracy should remain the guiding forces of the international order. 
 
 Obama slammed what he described as "aggressive nationalism" and "crude populism" of populist leaders who are wary of internationalism growing in influence around the world. Obama did not directly mention the British vote to leave the European Union or the rise of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, but his speech was obviously aimed at pushing back against such developments, which he has strongly opposed. 
 
 "A nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself," Obama said. 
 
 Related: Obama to Highlight Foreign Policy Accomplishments at U.N. 
 
 Later in the speech, Obama noted, "the world is too small for us to simply build a wall." 
 
 It was a speech that sought to highlight the significant progress over the course of Obama's presidency on such issues as climate change, economic security and advocating for democratic freedoms — as he seeks to cement his legacy. 
 
 "The integration of our global economy has made life better for billions of our women and children," he said, adding "our international order has been so successful we take it as a given that great powers no longer fight wars." 
 
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 It was also a speech that underscored that, despite the progress, challenges remain as the world grapples with the rise of ISIS and eyes North Korea's nuclear ambitions. 
 
 Obama also specifically spoke out against what he called a "strong man" leadership model, arguing instead for nations with democratic governments and strong independent news institutions. He seemed to contrast with the leadership approaches of both Trump and Vladimir Putin. 
 
 "Those of use who believe in democracy, we need to speak out forcefully," he said adding, "I believe in a liberal political order." 
 
 The president acknowledged the growing gap between the rich and poor, particularly in the U.S. He argued policies such as expanding labor unions and increasing education would help address these disparities. 
 
 "The answer cannot be a simple rejection of global integration," Obama said. "We have to make sure the benefits of such integration are broadly shared." 
 
 Obama arrived in office in 2009 set on winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But his speech illustrated how the world has changed in the last eight years. 
 
 While U.S. troops remain in both nations, the president seemed as worried about economics and culture as military issues. 
 
 "We are seeing the same forces of global integration that have made us interdependent also expose deep fault lines in the existing international order," the president said. 
 
 President Obama arrives at the United Nations to address the General Assembly on Sept. 20. NBC News 
 
 But he argued, "we must reject any forms of fundamentalism or racism or a belief in ethnic superiority." 
 
 Obama also used the speech to list what he views as his signature achievements on foreign policy: normalizing relations with Cuba, reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, helping push Myanmar towards democracy, agreeing with nations around the world on goals to reduce emissions and fight climate change. 
 
 The president addressed some of the issues that are viewed as shortcomings of his foreign policy approach. 
 
 He argued diplomacy was the only way to end the civil war in Syria. He called for greater international cooperation to fight ISIS. 
 
 Obama recently pledged that the U.S. would accept 110,000 refugees, up from about 85,000 this year. The administration recently announced the U.S. had reached its goal of admitting 10,000 refugees from Syria this year. 
 
 Children play at the yard of an abandoned school used by volunteers for hosting families of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in Athens on June 27, 2016. ARIS MESSINIS / AFP - Getty Images 
 
 The U.S. remains far behind the pace of nations like Germany in accepting refugees. 
 
 But in increasing the number of refugees now, the Obama administration is both trying to address a growing humanitarian crisis, particularly in Syria but also reject the anti-Muslim, anti-refugee rhetoric of Trump. 
 
 In his 2008 campaign, Obama promised to rebuild American relations with countries abroad who had opposed the Iraq War and felt the Bush administration too often acted internationally without consulting other nations. In a September 2009 address to the United Nations General Assembly, Obama promised a "a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect." 
 
 Related: Trump's and Obama's Views on Globalization Reflect Broader Gap 
 
 In 2008, the Pew Research Center asked people in 24 countries around the world if they had could count on President George W. Bush to do the right thing on foreign affairs issues. Majorities in only three of the 24 countries expressed confidence in Bush. 
 
 Last year, Pew asked a similar question. In 32 of the 40 countries Pew surveyed, a majority of the people had confidence in Obama's global leadership. 
 
 But Obama's 2009 speech also shows some goals he did not accomplish. 
 
 The president has not been able to convince Republicans in Congress to support the closing of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay or made much progress in achieving a permanent solution to the tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis. 
 
 A Navy guard patrols Camp Delta's detainee recreation yard during the early morning at Guantanamo Bay naval base in a July 7, 2010 handout. President Barack Obama urged lawmakers on Tuesday to give his plan to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a "fair hearing" and said he did not want to pass the issue to his successor when he leaves the White House next year. R. Holzworth/US Army / Reuters 
 
 Even on issues like fighting climate change and reducing the nuclear weapons stockpiles around the world, Obama's achievements have been mixed. 
 
 Obama successfully reached an agreement with Iran to reduce its nuclear program, but North Korea appears to have increased its nuclear capacity over the last 8 years. 
 
 Al Qaeda has been weakened, as Obama hoped for in 2009, but ISIS has emerged as a major threat to commit terrorist acts across the globe. 
 
 Obama in 2009 argued that "power is no longer a zero-sum game" and suggested the time was over for "alignments of nations rooted in the cleavages of a long-gone Cold War." But Russian president Vladimir Putin appears to view international relations in this model Obama criticized and has taken actions in the Ukraine and Iran that the American president has opposed but could not prevent. ||||| President Barack Obama addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. The president warned that the forces of globalization have exposed "deep fault lines"... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Barack Obama addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. The president warned that the forces of globalization have exposed "deep fault lines" across the globe, calling for a "course correction" to ensure that nations and their peoples don't... (Associated Press) 
 
 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Barack Obama conceded Tuesday that the United States and other world powers have limited ability to solve the most profound challenges facing the world, while calling for a "course correction" for globalization to ensure that nations don't retreat into a more sharply divided world. 
 
 Obama, in his final speech to the U.N. General Assembly, acknowledged that the extremist and sectarian violence wreaking havoc in the Middle East and elsewhere "will not be quickly reversed." Still, he stuck faithfully to his insistence that diplomatic efforts and not military solutions are the key to resolving Syria's civil war and other conflicts. 
 
 "If we are honest, we know that no external power is going to be able to force different religious communities or ethnic communities to co-exist for long," Obama said. "Until basic questions are answered about how communities co-exist, the embers of extremism will continue to burn. Countless human beings will suffer." 
 
 In a less-than-subtle jab at Donald Trump, the Republican running to replace him, Obama said, "The world is too small for us to simply be able to build a wall and prevent (extremism) from affecting our own societies." 
 
 The president was unabashed in his critique of Russia as he laid out his diagnosis of the world's ills. Obama's longstanding differences with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his actions in Ukraine have accompanied intense disagreement over Syria's future and a series of failed attempts by Russia and the U.S. to resolve the civil war there together. 
 
 "In a world that left the age of empire behind, we see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force," Obama said. 
 
 The tough talk about Russia illustrated how little progress has been made in reconciling the diverging interests among the two powers that has allowed the Syria crisis to continue to fester. A year ago, Obama stood at the same podium and declared anew that Syrian President Bashar Assad must leave power, while Putin gave a dueling speech warning it would be a mistake to abandon Assad. 
 
 In the year since, Moscow's leverage in the conflict has strengthened significantly. Russia's military intervention in Syria has helped bolster Assad's standing without pulling it into the military "quagmire" that Obama had predicted. 
 
 Obama sought to use his last appearance before the global body to define how his leadership had put the world on a better trajectory over the last eight years. At the heart of that approach, Obama said, is the notion that the biggest conflicts are best solved when nations cooperate rather than tackle them individually. 
 
 It's a theme that Democrat Hillary Clinton has put at the forefront of her campaign for president, casting herself as the natural continuation of Obama's legacy. In another apparent reference to Trump, Obama bemoaned how terrorist networks had spread their ideology on social media, spurring anger toward "innocent immigrants and Muslims." 
 
 Obama lamented that the world has become safer and more prosperous at the same time that nations are struggling with a devastating refugee crisis, terrorism and a breakdown in basic order in the Middle East. He said governing had become more difficult as people lose faith in public institutions and tensions among nations spiral out of control more rapidly. 
 
 "This is the paradox that defines the world today," Obama said. "We must go forward, and not backward." 
 
 The president cited his administration's outreach to former adversaries Cuba and Myanmar as key examples of progress, along with global cooperation to cut emissions blamed for global warming. At the same time, he said he sought not to "whitewash" challenges across the globe, some of which he attributed to deepening anxieties about the profound shifts inflicted by technology and growing international interdependence. 
 
 "In order to move forward though, we do have to acknowledge that the existing path to global integration requires a course correction," Obama said. 
 
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 Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in New York contributed to this report. 
 
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 Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP ||||| UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Both sides would benefit if Israel recognized it cannot permanently occupy Palestinian land and if Palestinians rejected incitement and recognized Israel’s legitimacy, U.S. President Barack Obama told the United Nations on Tuesday. 
 
 Obama’s efforts to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement have failed over the nearly eight years he has been in the White House, with the latest push by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry collapsing in 2014. 
 
 U.S. officials have held out the possibility Obama could lay out the rough outlines of a deal - “parameters” in diplomatic parlance - after the Nov. 8 presidential election and before he leaves office in January, but many analysts doubt this would have much effect. 
 
 “Surely Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel ...(and if) Israel recognizes that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land,” Obama said. 
 
 Related Coverage Obama to raise concerns about settlements with Netanyahu: White House 
 
 Speaking at the General Assembly annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations for the last time as president, Obama also said Russia was trying to recover “lost glory” through force. 
 
 He warned Russia that if it “continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may be popular at home, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it is also going to diminish its stature and make its borders less secure.” 
 
 Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 after months of protests in Kiev ousted pro-Moscow Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. 
 
 On the international dispute over the South China Sea, Obama said: “A peaceful resolution of disputes offered by law will mean far greater stability then the militarization of a few rocks and reefs.” 
 
 Slideshow (23 Images) 
 
 China claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which ships carrying about $5 trillion in trade pass every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, which is also believed to be rich in energy resources and fish stocks. 
 
 In July, an arbitration court in The Hague said China’s claims to the waterway were invalid, in a case was brought by the Philippines. Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling. ||||| American threats to cut off aid to countries voting in favor of a General Assembly resolution condemning the US for deciding to move its embassy to Jerusalem did not move the needle too far inside the world body, as the measure passed handily on Thursday by a vote of 128 against nine, with 35 abstentions and 21 countries not voting. 
 
 
 
 The vote – a symbolic act unlikely to change any facts on the ground or politics in foreign capitals – was elevated in importance after US President Donald Trump said he would take the tally personally, and that the votes of states would be remembered as Washington considers further aid to the international body. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly responded to the vote, saying that “Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution.”“Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be,” he said. “But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theater of the absurd.”He said he wanted to especially thank Trump and ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for “their stalwart defense of Israel, and their stalwart defense of the truth.”The Palestinians, on the other hand, applauded the results. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh said the vote is a “victory for Palestine.”“We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.The results of this vote were not significantly different than results of two other special votes in the General Assembly regarding the conflict over the last five years.In 2012, the Palestinians gained non-member observer status as a state by a vote of 138 to nine, with 41 abstentions and five no-shows. And a 2015 measure giving them the right to fly their flag at the UN passed 119 to eight, with 45 abstentions, and 21 countries not participating.Before Thursday’s vote, US ambassador Nikki Haley told the world body that its hostility toward Israel is “wrong [and] undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world.”Haley said that Israel remains in the UN, despite the organization’s hostility, because “it’s important to stand up for yourself. Israel must stand up for its own survival as a nation, but it also stands up for the ideals of freedom and human dignity that the United Nations is supposed to be about.”Reiterating threats to remember who voted against the US, Haley said her country “will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”America, she declared, “will put [its] embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered.”Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of the world’s body adopted the resolution declaring – without mentioning the US by name – the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as “null and void and [that it] must be rescinded.”Twenty-two of the 28 EU countries voted for the resolution, including Germany, which in the past has abstained on measures attacking Israel. Greece and Cyprus, with whom Israel has an alliance in the eastern Mediterranean and which abstained in the 2015 vote on the Palestinian flag issue, also voted for the measure.Five EU countries, however, broke with the EU consensus and abstained: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania. Lithuania did not show up for the vote.The vote showed that Israel has made inroads in Latin America, as Argentina, Mexico and Colombia – all countries that Netanyahu visited in September – abstained.Notably, India, with whom Israel has forged very strong ties and where Netanyahu will be traveling next month, voted for the measure.In addition to the US and Israel, the other countries that voted against the measure were Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon said before the vote: “Those who support today’s resolution are like puppets. You are puppets pulled by the strings of your Palestinian puppet masters. You are like marionettes forced to dance while the Palestinian leadership looks on with glee. You are blind to the lies. Unaware of the manipulation surrounding you – just like a puppet.”This vote, he said, “is nothing more than a performance of delusion.”Holding up a coin from around the year 67 with the Hebrew inscription “Freedom of Zion,” he said that this “proves the ancient connection of Jews to Jerusalem.”Danon continued, “Our bond to Jerusalem is unbreakable. No UNESCO declaration, no empty speeches, no General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem.”Though comments made over the last two days by Trump and Haley saying that the US would take note of how each country votes – as well as vigorous Israeli diplomatic efforts – did little to alter the outcome that was foreseen from the start, it did impact the number of countries asking to make a statement before the vote.Part of Israel’s efforts over the last two days was to keep western, Democratic countries from making such statements, and in that Jerusalem was successful. In addition to the Palestinian Authority, the other countries which spoke and slammed Israel with varying degrees of vitriol were Yemen, Turkey, Venezuela, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Maldives, Syria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Iran, China, Malaysia and North Korea.The representative of the Vatican also spoke, and essentially called for the internationalization of Jerusalem.“The Holy See calls for peaceful resolution that respects the nature of Jerusalem, its sacredness and universal value, and reiterates that only an international guaranteed status can preserve its unique character and be an assurance for dialogue and reconciliation for peace in the region.”Even before the vote, Netanyahu called the UN a “House of Lies,” and predicted that eventually all the embassies will move to Jerusalem because “truth will win out.” 
 
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– President Obama addressed the United Nations as president for the final time on Tuesday with a speech that urged world leaders make a "course correction" and be more open to refugees and less authoritarian. And he seemed to be take a shot, more than once, at Donald Trump's vision of a big, beautiful wall. Some lines from accounts by the AP, Politico, Reuters, ABC News and NBC News: "Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself." “The world is simply too small to be able to build a wall and stop it from affecting our own societies.” He also said, apparently in reference to Zika, that "mosquitoes don't respect walls." "We must respect the meaning that people draw from their own traditions, from their religion, their ethnicity, from their sense of nationhood. But I do not believe progress is possible if our desire to preserve our identities gives way to an impulse to dehumanize or dominate another group." "In countries held together by borders drawn by colonial powers with ethnic enclaves and tribal divisions, politics and elections can sometimes appear to be a zero sum game. And so given the difficulty in forging true democracy in the face of these pressures, it's no surprise that some argue the future favors the strongman. A top-down model rather than strong democratic institutions. But I believe this thinking is wrong." "History shows that strongmen are then left with two paths. Permanent crackdown, which sparks strife at home, or scapegoating enemies abroad, which can lead to war." "In a world that left the age of empire behind, we see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force." "Surely Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel ...(and if) Israel recognizes that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land." Watch a video of the speech via USA Today.