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FactCheck: No ‘New World Order’

    by Gina Esposito, FactCheck
    Published 

Q: Did President Obama call for a "new world order" in a speech in Europe?

A: No. Video of Obama's speech was edited to change the meaning of what he said.

Full Question

Did Obama, in a televised speech with German subtitles, utter these words: "Ordinary men and women are too small minded to govern their own affairs. That order and progress can only come when men and women surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign"?

I had to listen to this three times to make sure I had not misunderstood what he said! The American people are too small minded to govern themselves???? Please listen to this!
As you know "our leader" is just back from Europe for a NATO meeting. The German press is reporting on his speech. It is disgusting — this 19 second clip tells it all. Interesting that our press is not reporting this, not even Fox. This is enough to turn your stomach.
Subject: Watch and Listen closely to this 19 sec clip!
This is the most Un-American statement ever uttered by any American President. He is selling us down the river! He says we are too small minded to govern our own affairs and we must surrender our individual rights to the World Order?
Only 19 seconds long. PLEASE WATCH. Not reported by US media the German Press had to do it.
— Listen carefully to these words. Is this what you voted for?

Full Answer

Our inbox is full of emails from readers wondering if President Obama made some ominous remarks advocating for a totalitarian government. We can assure you he didn't.

A viral email claims that Obama made "the most Un-American statement ever uttered by any American President." It also provides a link to a 19-second YouTube video of remarks the president supposedly made during a speech in Europe in March. This was "Not reported by US media — the German Press had to do it," the email says.

The title of the video, posted by a German group, translates to "Obama explained shortly the New World Order in 2014 — Compilation," according to Google Translate. The video purportedly shows Obama saying: "And for the international order that we have worked for generations to build. Ordinary men and women are too small-minded to govern their own affairs. That order and progress can only come when individuals surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign."

That does sound frightening. But it's not what Obama said.

The creators of the video selectively edited the president's words, combining clips from two different parts of his speech in a way that completely changed the meaning of what he said.

Here, in proper context, is what Obama said during the March speech to European youth in Brussels, Belgium — not Germany. The parts included in the edited video are in bold:

Obama, March 26:
Throughout human history, societies have grappled with fundamental questions of how to organize themselves, the proper relationship between the individual and the state, the best means to resolve inevitable conflicts between states. And it was here in Europe, through centuries of struggle — through war and Enlightenment, repression and revolution — that a particular set of ideals began to emerge: The belief that through conscience and free will, each of us has the right to live as we choose. The belief that power is derived from the consent of the governed, and that laws and institutions should be established to protect that understanding. And those ideas eventually inspired a band of colonialists across an ocean, and they wrote them into the founding documents that still guide America today, including the simple truth that all men — and women — are created equal.
But those ideals have also been tested here in Europe and around the world. Those ideals have often been threatened by an older, more traditional view of power. This alternative vision argues that
— Leaders and dignitaries of the European Union; representatives of our NATO Alliance; distinguished guests: We meet here at a moment of testing for Europe and the United States,

It's clear Obama wasn't saying that "ordinary men and women are too small-minded to govern their own affairs," or that "individuals [should] surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign." Rather, he ascribed that worldview to an ideology he explicitly rejects.

To see the full video of Obama's speech, watch the official White House version.

– Zachary Piaker

Sources

Wahrheitsbewegung. "Obama erklärt in kürze die Neue Welt Ordnung 2014 ^^ – Zusammenschnitt." YouTube video. 26 May 2014.

White House. "Remarks by the President in Address to European Youth." 26 Mar 2014.

White House. "President Obama Speaks at Palais Des Beaux Arts." Video. 26 Mar 2014.

FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. Based in Philadelphia, Factcheck monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Its goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding. Find a list of Factcheck.org funders here.

    Gina Esposito, FactCheck