SHAFAQNA- Guardian reported that Biden’s half-hour UNGA speech barely mentioned the USA’s two biggest rivals.
Every September, the annual UN’s general assembly session offers global leaders a prime opportunity to publicize their top priorities to an international audience – precisely what President Joe Biden did on the conclave’s opening day this week.
As Biden approached the podium, the representatives of China and Russia may have braced for an earful: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has produced Europe’s deadliest war in more than 70 years; and tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea and trade have made blame-laden volleys between China and the USA routine. As it turned out, however, Biden’s half-hour speech barely mentioned the USA’s two biggest rivals.
Biden’s address included familiar themes from prior speeches, some dramatic flair, and the occasional cliche. The world, he said, was at an “inflection point in history”. Bullies and rule-breakers were continually testing international values and rules. Democracies were under threat in the Sahel and west Africa, where military-led governments have been popping up like weeds in a garden. Instead Biden devoted about 80% of his address to planetary problems – the climate crisis, economic inequality, unsustainable debt, poverty and disease – whose effects transcend borders. He praised multilateral institutions for their work on these fronts and pledged additional monetary support.
Source: theguardian