In his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly at the annual UN gathering in New York today, Tuesday, September 24th, President Joe Biden tried to showcase the diplomatic achievements of his presidency and contrast them with the wars going on in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan.
During his speech, President Biden stated “I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair.”
“But maybe because [of] all I’ve seen and all we have done together over the decades, I have hope,” he added.
President Biden addressed his administration’s main diplomatic achievements at the UN
Joe Biden’s final speech to the UN as President of the United States largely focused on his administration’s main diplomatic achievements. Some notable mentions made by President Biden included supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion in 2022, handling competition with China, and upholding the United Nations charter.
President Biden also outlined global artificial intelligence principles and his administration’s work to address the crisis in Gaza and Sudan.
Many political analysts considered this to be President Biden’s last chance to showcase his administration’s legacy in foreign policy on the global stage. Despite his best attempts to showcase his diplomatic successes, the geopolitical state of the world would suggest that these successes are not so significant.
For instance, since his last address to the General Assembly in 2023, wars in Ukraine and Sudan have raged on, and another war broke out on October 7, 2023. Almost a year after Israel’s war against Hamas started, the world is seeing new war fronts in the Middle East.
President Biden insisted on his administration’s commitment to a cease-fire in his final UN speech
During his speech before the UN, President Joe Biden reiterated his administration’s commitment to a cease-fire to put an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
“Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, secure security for Israel and Gaza free from Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war,” he said. President Biden also said they are looking to address rising violence against innocent Palestinians in the West Bank.
Furthermore, Biden commented on the need for a two-state solution, referring to a world, “where…Israel enjoys security and peace, full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors. And Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own.”
Additionally, Biden gave credit to Vice President and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris when talking about the war in Ukraine.
President Biden seized this opportunity by saying, “We could have stood by and merely protested, but Vice President Kamala Harris and I understood that that was an assault on everything this institution was supposed to stand for,” when talking about Republicans who opposed sending weapons to Ukraine.
He finished his speech by explaining his decision to step down from the 2024 presidential race and reminded his fellow leaders of the world: “My fellow leaders, let us never forget: Some things are more important than staying in power.”
