US President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 24, 2019, in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The emptied-out United Nations headquarters in New York City is another casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic. The General Assembly, the annual mass gathering that attracts world leaders each year to Manhattan, will be virtual this year for the first time in its history, with presidents and prime ministers delivering pre-taped video remarks instead.
The Trump administration’s retreat from alliances and multilateral institutions has gone from rhetoric to reality. The consequences of that — not just for the US, but the rest of the world— are in painful view. The UN system is only as strong and resilient as its member states make it, and when the US pulls away, the institution starts fraying along with it.
But even in this diminished form, what leaders say will matter. That’s especially true for Trump.
Last year, Trump again went all in on national sovereignty, reprising his case that all nations should protect their borders and reject mutual and international cooperation that doesn’t put their country’s own interests first. He also touted some of his foreign policy successes, as he saw them, including his trade deals. He discussed the threats of China and Iran at length and condemned Venezuela’s socialist regime. Expect a repeat, and then some this year. (Vox reached out to the White House to confirm that Trump has submitted a video to the UN, and we’ll update if we hear back.)
Navy Vet
Article URL : https://www.vox.com/2020/9/21/21440245/united-nations-general-assembly-remote-trump-china-iran