UNderstanding the UN: UNGA Recap

UNderstanding the UN is done in partnership with PassBlue. 

Hitting traffic along the east side of Manhattan? The General Assembly kicked off today with world leaders flocking to the Big Apple to have their voices heard and their country’s acknowledged. 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro opened his first UN General Assembly address sharing his fight against socialism in Brazil. Bolsonaro said Brazil was on the brink of failing to a socialist government, which caused widespread crime and corruption. He reminded the world that Venezuela was once a vibrant, democratic country and vowed to ensure that Brazil would not fall down the same path. He also addressed the Amazon fires, saying that the fires were not as bad as the media made them seem and that the Amazon is open for business. He took a jab at nations like France who he claims offered ‘colonialist’ help. 

United States President Donald Trump then took the stage to deliver his third general assembly speech, telling the world ‘the future does not belong to globalists’. Trump opened up his speech focusing on national renewal while touting the United States’ historic low unemployment rates, massive tax cuts, and the nations commitment to reform international trade. He encouraged world leaders to follow in his footsteps, promoting nationalism and rejecting globalism. 

The President then shifted gears toward international trade. The president said he stands ready to make a new trade agreement with U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid mounting tensions over Brexit. In keeping with trade, Trump then took a swipe at China, saying that when China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 there were hopes that China would move to liberalize their economy and open up to trade. Now, Trump says, these hopes were ill-fated and China can no longer be allowed to get away with current policies. He took a hard hit at China’s economic dependence on state subsidies, currency manipulation and intellectual property theft. 

He also turned his attention toward Iran, slamming the Iranian government for “squandering” the nation’s wealth in their quest for nuclear weapons. He took a moment to remind UN members that Iran is the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism and reiterated his promise that the US will not sit idle while Iran continues to engage in this behavior. He said “all nations have a responsibility to act” in the face of international crisis like these. 

The President ended his remarks on a positive note, saying the United States wants friends, not adversaries, and looks forward to working with nations like China and Iran in the future if they’re willing to come to the table. 

French President Emmanuel Macron took the stage as well, using his time to urge the United States and Iran to ‘take a leap of faith’ and try to build peace. He said the two nations need to negotiate to avoid deeper conflict in the middle east. His comments come after Iran reportedly attacked Saudi oil tanks. 

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza pushed back against President Trump’s accusation that Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura was a “Cuban puppet”. Arreaza retaliated that Venezuela would continue to work with Cuba. He also said Trump was a “puppet of imperialism and capitalism”.