Biden Gives Last Address to UN General Assembly

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Facts

  • US Pres. Joe Biden on Tuesday used his final address to the UN General Assembly to express his hope that the US continues to engage with the rest of the world while a resolution is sought for the war in the Gaza Strip, the civil war in Sudan, and the Russia-Ukraine war.[1]
  • Biden said the US and its allies must 'make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than the forces pulling us apart.'[1]
  • In terms of the Middle East, where Israel recently targeted a thousand Hezbollah targets in Lebanon — even while its war in Gaza continues — Biden said 'full scale war is not in anyone's interest' and called on Israel and Hamas to finalize a cease-fire and hostage-release deal.[2]
  • Biden also called for a two-state solution, with Israel enjoying 'security and peace, full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors,' while Palestinians 'live in security, dignity and self-determination in a state of their own.'[3]
  • Biden hailed that Ukraine is still free and NATO is 'bigger, stronger, more united' than ever despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion, which the US president said 'failed' in terms of its main goal. He vowed the US and its allies 'will not let up' in support of Ukraine until Ukraine 'wins a just and durable peace.'[3][4]
  • Aside from conflicts, Biden also pledged the US will give African countries $500M to help respond to the mpox epidemic, including donating 1M doses of the mpox vaccine. He called on other countries to help get the amount up to $1B.[5]

Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]Reuters.com, [3]CNBC, [4]CBS and [5]NPR Online News.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. Biden's speech highlighted the things he does best, especially coalition building. Although many say more can be done to aid Ukraine, Biden helped pull NATO together to stave off Russian advances. In Gaza, Biden's administration is working around the clock in an attempt to get a ceasefire despite the two sides' tentativeness. In addition to his speech, Biden held several meetings about how countries can come together to tackle the challenges of the world.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Guardian. Biden can crow about his foreign policy experience and his so-called successes. But there are three wars waging across the globe, and his speech offered no path for a way forward toward ending the bloodshed. Biden's speech was all 'feelings and vibes' and resulted in criticism from several other world leaders who are looking toward the US for leadership.
  • Conservative narrative, as provided by Townhall. Biden's failed policies have done nothing but set the world aflame, and even as he bragged about his so-called accomplishments, he seemed to acknowledge his failures. But nothing he said mattered because he was urging an inept UN — which has abandoned its peace-keeping duties in the Middle East and lets the leader of Iran travel to New York unimpeded — to help out when it obviously has no intention of curtailing terrorism or draining anti-American autocrats of their power.

Predictions