https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-22-2026
"In 1945, still reeling from World War II, representatives from 50 nations
reached back to the U.S. Constitution when they wrote the Preamble to the
United Nations charter. “WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS” were, they
wrote, “DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to
reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and
small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be
maintained.”
Central to that effort was the principle, stated in Article 2, that “[a]ll
Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use
of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any
state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United
Nations.”
The U.N. General Assembly has been meeting in New York City since September 8,
and today began its high-level General Debate, the annual meeting of the heads
of state and heads of government that launches the General Assembly session. At
the General Debate, all 193 U.N. member states are invited to address the
General Assembly.
By tradition, Brazil speaks first because it was the first to volunteer to
speak in 1955 when no other country would. Because the United States is the
country that hosts the United Nations, it usually speaks second.
In his speech today, President Donald J. Trump, reading haltingly off a
teleprompter, said: “I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with
Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was
before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I
annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance
to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with
no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Much of the Iranian delegation walked out.
Trump’s immediate switch to a talking point about the midterms suggests that
his speech was aimed at U.S. voters more than the U.N. audience, but it should
not be overlooked that he stood in front of world leaders and rejected the
premise of the U.N."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
