Obama makes case for 'essential' Western leadership

"We must act, and lead, with confidence in our ideals, and an abiding faith in the character of our people," Obama said, even while adding they will "proceed with humility, and the knowledge that we cannot dictate outcomes abroad."

He argued that "the longing for freedom and human dignity" is "universal, and it beats in every heart."

And he linked this year's uprisings against regimes across the Middle East to the fall of Communism in Europe, of white minority rule in South Africa, and of dictatorships in Latin America and Southeast Asia, saying they reflect "a longing for the same freedoms that we take for granted at home."

He also contended that the rise of China, India and Brazil was linked to their acceptance of free markets on the British and American models.

Their ascendance does not mean that Western leadership is in decline, he insisted, saying: "The time for our leadership is now."

His aides billed the address as the centerpiece of his six-day trip to Europe this week.

British lawmakers greeted him with a standing ovation, and applauded his description of himself as the son of a Kenyan cook in the British army who had become president of the United States.

The speech caps a two-day trip to Britain that mixed pomp with politics; Kazinform cites CNN.

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