By Farnaz Fassihi, Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Zolan Kanno-Youngs
In his fourth and final address to the U.N. General Assembly, President Joe Biden reflected on the conflicts he witnessed during his career in public service and warned Tuesday that the world once again faced an “inflection point.”
World leaders gathered in New York to hear Biden and other speakers address the 79th meeting of the General Assembly, in the shadow of war and turmoil in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Many of the speakers castigated Israel over its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has surpassed 41,000, according to local health authorities, and there is no cease-fire in sight after more than 11 months of fighting. And now, escalating cross-border volleys of missiles fired by Israel and by Hezbollah in Lebanon have raised the threat of a multi-front war in the Middle East.
Calls to end the Middle East conflict and wars in Ukraine and Sudan were expected to dominate the weeklong General Assembly session, but resolutions appear to be out of reach now for any of the three conflicts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is grinding into its third year with no end in sight. And a ruthless civil war in Sudan has “unleashed one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” Biden said.
“Our task, our test, is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart,” Biden said. “I truly believe we’re in another inflection point of world history. For the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come.”
Here’s what else to know:
— A final address: For Biden, the speech was a farewell of sorts. He has long spoken about the power of personal relationships as an instrument of diplomacy, and aides say he is likely to have a number of one-on-one meetings with fellow world leaders on the sidelines of the summit. The speech also came at a time of great uncertainty about America’s future role in the world, with the presidential election six weeks away. On Tuesday, Biden cast his decision to step down from the presidential ticket as a larger lesson for the world’s leaders, saying, “Some things are more important than staying in power.”
— A proposal for Ukraine: The U.N. Security Council will convene a session Tuesday on Ukraine, a last-minute addition after Ukrainian diplomats raised concerns that their war might be falling off the agenda with so much attention fixed on the Middle East. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is expected to share a new peace proposal and an appeal for more military support to launch strikes deeper into Russia, Security Council diplomats said. He was scheduled to address the 193-member General Assembly on Wednesday.
— Secretary-general’s address: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned in opening remarks Tuesday that “a powder keg risks engulfing the world.” He urged modernization of U.N. institutions like the Security Council and the World Bank. “It is in all our interests to manage the epic transformations underway, to choose the future we want and guide our world toward it,” he said.
— Who else is speaking: Other speakers Tuesday include President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey; King Abdullah II of Jordan; and the leaders of Qatar, Poland and Argentina.
— Who won’t be there: The recent escalation of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, the armed Iranian-backed Lebanese group, prompted Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon to cancel his appearance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel delayed his trip until Wednesday. He is scheduled to speak Thursday.
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