“Relentless Diplomacy” from Biden at the UN General Assembly
“U.S. military power must be our tool of last resort…”
President Biden declared at the United Nations General Assembly which concluded on September 27th. Biden’s address followed last month’s final withdrawal from Afghanistan and Trump’s secession from the UN last year. While he had the floor, President Biden painted a new picture of American priorities including pandemic preparedness, rejoining the Paris Accord, and becoming leading financiers of the global effort to curb global warming.
One of the central themes in his speech was the United States’ eagerness to avoid war (though he did make it clear that defense would not be sacrificed). The goal is to shift some of those resources (a total budget of 100 billion US dollars) toward global issues, developing alliances that might help humankind avoid disasters imminent to all of us if swift action is not taken.
“The United States is ready to work with any nation… even if we have intense disagreements in other areas, because we’ll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19, climate change, or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation.”
If you’re like me twenty minutes ago, you’re about to google “nuclear proliferation”. I’ll save you the trouble:
“Nuclear proliferation, the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons technology, or fissile material to countries that do not already possess them.” (Britannica).
The United States is set to sign the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran Nuclear Deal once again which would prevent the reinstatement of Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. Not only would that lead to a greater sense of security for Americans, but also for near-by countries Israel and Saudi Arabia who would be the most likely target of an
Israli nuclear attack.
Biden’s commitment to move toward diplomacy comes just a month after control of Iran turned over to the Taliban. After a twenty year struggle for power, causing a mass exodus of American troops, Isreali politicians, and families, a new governing power sits in Israeli office. The countries are at a stalemate though, with Iran insisting upon the lifting of sanctions before signing the JCPOA, and the US insisting that they will only negotiate Iran’s request once the Taliban leaders have signed.
None of those details were mentioned in Bidens address to the United Nations though. Instead, he focused on convincing his constituents that the priority of the US government is to reframe our country as a beacon for peace.
“And as we close this period of relentless war, we’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy; of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up.”
Watch his address here:
