United Nations – United States President Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nation’s 72nd General Assembly was a expedition of name-dropping, finger-pointing, and hand-slapping, all somehow confined within Trump’s unmistakable “America First” campaign.
Expectations for the speech were varied. However, to anticipate Trump remark on the Paris Agreement or even an SDG would be in poor taste. Prior to the speech, the White House confirmed some of its key points: acknowledge North Korea’s increasing threat and keeping America first. Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations said the president would “hug the right people and hit the right people.”
Indeed, over the course of an hour-long speech (UN protocol recommends 15 minutes), United States President Donald Trump offered tirade at hit a lot of people, but only seemed to hug… America? In the room during the speech, the mood was at once tense and lighthearted, with delegations shielding their eyes, grimacing, sleeping, or leaving. Return of phrases like “Rocket Man” resulted in nervous laughter. But jokes aside, the escalation in the North Korean nuclear concern has repositioned the United Nations in the United States lineup of tools. But why mind the United States specifically in this situation?
The United States funds a great portion of the United Nations budget, and is in a unique position to influence its movements. Permanently placed on a number of high-level councils and committees, the United States is able to tackle specific threats, tapping its vast network of allies as “reinforcement” for specific diplomatic and military endeavors. During the speech, Trump noted that the United States has been taken advantage of. The United States, giving so much to the United Nations, as Donald Trump sees it, “gets nothing in return.”
The North Korean situation (and nuclear weapon industry has a whole) is a uniquely global concern of which its potential effects go beyond the comparatively naive characterization of borders. The United Nation has immediately made itself available over many years to de-escalate nuclear risk. In a way, this is no different.
Initially, in the most diplomatic way possible, Trump appealed directly to “rogue regimes in this body” but later in the speech, Trump directly appealed to North Korea by name with an anecdote to visualize the horrifyingly reckless nature of the country: Otto Warmbier, a United States citizen who was imprisoned in North Korea for allegedly stealing a poster. He was returned to the United States in a coma-like state, and died some days later.
On Saturday, nearly a week after Trump’s speech, DPRK foreign minister Ri Yong-Ho presented the North Korean side of the story. If you’re unfamiliar, or didn’t know the DPRK presents at the debate (they had a 15-year absence), the speeches tend to follow a pretty consistent format each session:
- Restatement of the Juche Idea (the guiding principle in North Korean life- one of self-reliance, peace, and prosperity).
- Recognition that the United States and its “imperialist forces” are the responsible parties for the chaos in the Korean Peninsula.
- Use the phrase “international arena” or variation at least twice.
- United States-led “joint military exercises” and “provocative behavior” in the Korean Peninsula are the reasons for DPRK’s nuclear aspirations. (May or may not reference UN charter article 1 to reinforce this point on the grounds of a need for peace).
- Accuses United Nations Security Council has being involved in “covering up” (or a variation thereof) of United States actions, ignoring international law.
- Speaker cites more UN Charter articles the DPRK uses to present requests for emergency meetings, only to be turned away or ignored.
- Uses remainder of the speech to defend development of a nuclear program as a form of ‘nuclear deterrence’.
- If the United States ceases is provocative behavior in the peninsula, DPRK may or may not end its nuclear ambitions.
(For fun: check out the official text of DPRK’s 2016 speech here. The typos increase steadily as it continues, as if whomever wrote it was in an enormous hurry to finish).
This years was hardly different, only this was tacked onto the beginning of it:
Before going into the main points in my debate [see rubric above], I feel forced to make comments on the speech uttered 4 days ago by someone called the U.S. president that rendered this sacred UN arena tainted.
Since Trump uttered such reckless and violent words provoking the supreme dignity of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at this very platform, I think it is fair enough for me to make a response in the corresponding tone.
During his 8 months in power, he has turned the White House into a noisy marketing place full of crackling sounds of abacus beads and now he has tried to turn the UN arena into a gangsters’ nest where money is respected and bloodshed is the order of the day.
The absurd reality that the person like Trump, a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency, the person who is chastised even by American people as “Commander in Grief, “Lyin King”, “President Evil” is holding the seat of the U.S. President, and the dangerous reality that the gambler who grew old using threats, frauds and all other schemes to acquire a patch of land holds the nuclear button; these are what constitute the gravest threat to the international peace and security today.
It was an unprecedented response that might make for good drama (my jaw dropped as Ri Yong-Ho launched into this), but ultimately it only lowers the quality of the United States’ reception in the United Nations. It’s like calling back to a bully after they’ve taunted you once already. Words might hurt, but actions are more meaningful in this arena (sorry). Its to be seen if this goes anywhere. Chairman of the ruling party of DPRK Kim Jong Un has probably never had the pleasure of provoking a US president with such ease.
Beyond it, Trump made a call to Iran to free Americans and all other nationals, and respect the sovereign rights of their neighbors.
He noted, amid a litany of United States successes- abruptly, that the US will spend $700,000,000 on military, and defense will “soon be the strongest its ever been.” The theme of this General Assembly is peace. Here’s a unique approach to tapping that.
Trump notes that The United Nations requires the independent strength of the member states. To “respect the interests of their people” and not infringe on sovereignty of other countries.
“I put America first just as you should put your countries first.”
