so you have a president now and you think the democratic system worked right
think the democratic system worked right
think the democratic system worked right the people have elected their president
the people have elected their president
the people have elected their president although in the lebanese case it took a
although in the lebanese case it took a
although in the lebanese case it took a few ounce but now there is a man who
few ounce but now there is a man who
few ounce but now there is a man who will leave the republic for the coming
will leave the republic for the coming
will leave the republic for the coming years where the US citizen of Lebanon or
years where the US citizen of Lebanon or
years where the US citizen of Lebanon or the United States I am here to tell you
the United States I am here to tell you
the United States I am here to tell you that those systems we participated in
that those systems we participated in
that those systems we participated in the ones to elect our presidents they
the ones to elect our presidents they
the ones to elect our presidents they are not free nor fair and therefore not
are not free nor fair and therefore not
are not free nor fair and therefore not the products but you will say that in
the products but you will say that in
the products but you will say that in both countries the people have the
both countries the people have the
both countries the people have the opportunity to go out and have a say in
opportunity to go out and have a say in
opportunity to go out and have a say in electing their leaders the systems
electing their leaders the systems
electing their leaders the systems reflect the popular will of the people
reflect the popular will of the people
reflect the popular will of the people and that’s will is reflected by the slip
and that’s will is reflected by the slip
and that’s will is reflected by the slip of paper we put into the ballot box is
of paper we put into the ballot box is
of paper we put into the ballot box is it not yeah that is not democracy how
it not yeah that is not democracy how
it not yeah that is not democracy how did you say what’s my power today the
did you say what’s my power today the
did you say what’s my power today the people meaning you and I or the
people meaning you and I or the
people meaning you and I or the presidents of our countries and the
presidents of our countries and the
presidents of our countries and the ministers they’ve elected from their
ministers they’ve elected from their
ministers they’ve elected from their group of friends if you agree that the
group of friends if you agree that the
group of friends if you agree that the latter is true then you should also
latter is true then you should also
latter is true then you should also agree that we have democracy all from
agree that we have democracy all from
agree that we have democracy all from the power of the people is greater than
the power of the people is greater than
the power of the people is greater than the people in power democracy did not
the people in power democracy did not
the people in power democracy did not begin in America but is often cited as a
begin in America but is often cited as a
begin in America but is often cited as a prominent example yet the ills of
prominent example yet the ills of
prominent example yet the ills of American democracy spanned from the from
American democracy spanned from the from
American democracy spanned from the from the electoral system to the pre-meeting
the electoral system to the pre-meeting
the electoral system to the pre-meeting influence of capitalism through that
influence of capitalism through that
influence of capitalism through that circus did any of you hear any ideas
circus did any of you hear any ideas
circus did any of you hear any ideas about policies that you want your
about policies that you want your
about policies that you want your governments to mimic ideas about banning
governments to mimic ideas about banning
governments to mimic ideas about banning Muslims building walls and throwing
Muslims building walls and throwing
Muslims building walls and throwing political opponents in jail and yet that
political opponents in jail and yet that
political opponents in jail and yet that man with those big ideas he was elected
man with those big ideas he was elected
man with those big ideas he was elected to be president of one of the most
to be president of one of the most
to be president of one of the most powerful nations on earth here in
powerful nations on earth here in
powerful nations on earth here in Lebanon a brutal civil war was fought
Lebanon a brutal civil war was fought
Lebanon a brutal civil war was fought over some of the same ideas yet were any
over some of the same ideas yet were any
over some of the same ideas yet were any of those ideas legal moral
of those ideas legal moral
of those ideas legal moral constitutional or democratic the
constitutional or democratic the
constitutional or democratic the salut three of these four concepts here
salut three of these four concepts here
salut three of these four concepts here is democracy if we do not understand the
is democracy if we do not understand the
is democracy if we do not understand the root of the idea then we cannot begin to
root of the idea then we cannot begin to
root of the idea then we cannot begin to judge what has gone wrong the word
judge what has gone wrong the word
judge what has gone wrong the word democracy literally comes from the
democracy literally comes from the
democracy literally comes from the ancient term democracy a’ meaning the
ancient term democracy a’ meaning the
ancient term democracy a’ meaning the rule of the commoners in Thucydides
rule of the commoners in Thucydides
rule of the commoners in Thucydides history of the Peloponnesian War
history of the Peloponnesian War
history of the Peloponnesian War democracy enshrines the principle of
democracy enshrines the principle of
democracy enshrines the principle of individual equality
individual equality
individual equality perhaps the Egyptians had it right in
perhaps the Egyptians had it right in
perhaps the Egyptians had it right in 2013
2013
2013 when many felt that Egypt’s first
when many felt that Egypt’s first
when many felt that Egypt’s first democratically-elected president was
democratically-elected president was
democratically-elected president was misguided after only one year in office
misguided after only one year in office
misguided after only one year in office rather than allow him to carry out the
rather than allow him to carry out the
rather than allow him to carry out the remainder of his four-year term he was
remainder of his four-year term he was
remainder of his four-year term he was overthrown I was in Cairo that summer
overthrown I was in Cairo that summer
overthrown I was in Cairo that summer and I remember an Egyptian friend
and I remember an Egyptian friend
and I remember an Egyptian friend telling me if you paid a man to build
telling me if you paid a man to build
telling me if you paid a man to build you a house and after some time you saw
you a house and after some time you saw
you a house and after some time you saw he was building you a parking lot would
he was building you a parking lot would
he was building you a parking lot would you allow him to finish or would you
you allow him to finish or would you
you allow him to finish or would you stop him and replace him when you first
stop him and replace him when you first
stop him and replace him when you first realized the mistake why do we all
realized the mistake why do we all
realized the mistake why do we all endure the pain of watching politicians
endure the pain of watching politicians
endure the pain of watching politicians who failed to fulfill promises that we
who failed to fulfill promises that we
who failed to fulfill promises that we often become so frustrated with our
often become so frustrated with our
often become so frustrated with our systems that we hear people say I don’t
systems that we hear people say I don’t
systems that we hear people say I don’t care about politics Palestinian Arthur
care about politics Palestinian Arthur
care about politics Palestinian Arthur Murray of our glooty once wrote politics
Murray of our glooty once wrote politics
Murray of our glooty once wrote politics is the family at breakfast who is there
is the family at breakfast who is there
is the family at breakfast who is there who is absent and why who misses whom
who is absent and why who misses whom
who is absent and why who misses whom when the coffee is poured into waiting
when the coffee is poured into waiting
when the coffee is poured into waiting cups politics is about your relationship
cups politics is about your relationship
cups politics is about your relationship to one entity and that relationship to a
to one entity and that relationship to a
to one entity and that relationship to a third party politics is just as divisive
third party politics is just as divisive
third party politics is just as divisive as it is unifying politics is in our
as it is unifying politics is in our
as it is unifying politics is in our homes our universities our offices and
homes our universities our offices and
homes our universities our offices and even in death so whether or not you
even in death so whether or not you
even in death so whether or not you believe you are participating in
believe you are participating in
believe you are participating in politics in the governmental sense
politics in the governmental sense
politics in the governmental sense everything you do is ultimately
everything you do is ultimately
everything you do is ultimately political in 2003 the president of the
political in 2003 the president of the
political in 2003 the president of the country I was born in authorized
country I was born in authorized
country I was born in authorized airstrikes against the country my father
airstrikes against the country my father
airstrikes against the country my father was born in it up was an illegal war
was born in it up was an illegal war
was born in it up was an illegal war undertaken without national nor in turn
undertaken without national nor in turn
undertaken without national nor in turn national consent and yet the people who
national consent and yet the people who
national consent and yet the people who perpetrated those actions killing over 1
perpetrated those actions killing over 1
perpetrated those actions killing over 1 million people in the process have yet
million people in the process have yet
million people in the process have yet to be brought to justice this is not
to be brought to justice this is not
to be brought to justice this is not democracy democracy is found through
democracy democracy is found through
democracy democracy is found through liberal democracy which has
liberal democracy which has
liberal democracy which has institutionalized elections respect for
institutionalized elections respect for
institutionalized elections respect for the rule of law and protections for
the rule of law and protections for
the rule of law and protections for Human Rights the reality today though is
Human Rights the reality today though is
Human Rights the reality today though is is that is that almost no liberal
is that is that almost no liberal
is that is that almost no liberal democracies exist the world is a
democracies exist the world is a
democracies exist the world is a collection of in liberal democracies
collection of in liberal democracies
collection of in liberal democracies most famously coined in 1997 by
most famously coined in 1997 by
most famously coined in 1997 by political affairs expert Fareed Zakaria
political affairs expert Fareed Zakaria
political affairs expert Fareed Zakaria an in liberal democracy has some
an in liberal democracy has some
an in liberal democracy has some functions of a democracy such as the
functions of a democracy such as the
functions of a democracy such as the presence of a ballot box but yet has
presence of a ballot box but yet has
presence of a ballot box but yet has other facets of society the rendered not
other facets of society the rendered not
other facets of society the rendered not fully free nor fair in the liberal
fully free nor fair in the liberal
fully free nor fair in the liberal democracies protections are offered only
democracies protections are offered only
democracies protections are offered only for some citizens and that is usually on
for some citizens and that is usually on
for some citizens and that is usually on the basis of race or religion in a
the basis of race or religion in a
the basis of race or religion in a liberal democracies political freedoms
liberal democracies political freedoms
liberal democracies political freedoms are outright stifled or otherwise curbed
are outright stifled or otherwise curbed
are outright stifled or otherwise curbed for fear of threatening the existing
for fear of threatening the existing
for fear of threatening the existing regime in the liberal democracies are
regime in the liberal democracies are
regime in the liberal democracies are plentiful and we see them from Iraq Iran
plentiful and we see them from Iraq Iran
plentiful and we see them from Iraq Iran Egypt Lebanon and the United States but
Egypt Lebanon and the United States but
Egypt Lebanon and the United States but modern democracy was not always a
modern democracy was not always a
modern democracy was not always a liberal in the United States there is a
liberal in the United States there is a
liberal in the United States there is a system called the checks and balances
system called the checks and balances
system called the checks and balances system where there are three independent
system where there are three independent
system where there are three independent branches of government the executive the
branches of government the executive the
branches of government the executive the legislative and the judiciary a recent
legislative and the judiciary a recent
legislative and the judiciary a recent example of the system in action is when
example of the system in action is when
example of the system in action is when President Trump attempted to issue a
President Trump attempted to issue a
President Trump attempted to issue a travel ban against the citizens of seven
travel ban against the citizens of seven
travel ban against the citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations the United
predominantly Muslim nations the United
predominantly Muslim nations the United States Supreme Court stepped in and they
States Supreme Court stepped in and they
States Supreme Court stepped in and they revoked the president’s legitimacy to
revoked the president’s legitimacy to
revoked the president’s legitimacy to enforce this ban the freedom of movement
enforce this ban the freedom of movement
enforce this ban the freedom of movement is a human rights and human rights are
is a human rights and human rights are
is a human rights and human rights are for all humans period distinguishing who
for all humans period distinguishing who
for all humans period distinguishing who gets what when and where Byron
gets what when and where Byron
gets what when and where Byron race or other distinguishing feature is
race or other distinguishing feature is
race or other distinguishing feature is there by dividing us into segments that
there by dividing us into segments that
there by dividing us into segments that will ultimately war with one another
that community is each one of us the
that community is each one of us the power of the people is greater than the
power of the people is greater than the
power of the people is greater than the people in power and individuals with
people in power and individuals with
people in power and individuals with knowledge social media platforms of
knowledge social media platforms of
knowledge social media platforms of voice and most importantly ideas it is
voice and most importantly ideas it is
voice and most importantly ideas it is our duty to ensure that the government
our duty to ensure that the government
our duty to ensure that the government is not getting us but that we are
is not getting us but that we are
is not getting us but that we are [Applause]
[Applause]
[Applause] [Music]
”
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