Invoking his ‘heroes’ Mahatma Gandhi and legendary civil rights leader Martin Luther King, US President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to achieve a peaceful world where “war is sometimes necessary”.
In his acceptance speech after receiving the Nobel Prize, Obama said: “I know there is nothing weak — nothing passive — nothing naïve — in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.”
“But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their (Gandhi and Dr King) examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people,” the 48-year-old President said.
He said a non-violent movement could not have halted [German dictator] Adolf Hitler’s armies and negotiations cannot persuade Al Qaeda’s leaders to disarm.