World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

US President Trump delivered a speech to the United Nations today. His remarks were in many respects at odds with the purposes of the institution: “The future does not belong to globalists; it belongs to patriots.”  The United Nations was created in the wake of virulent nationalisms that led to World Wars I and II. The Preamble to the UN Charter is explicit:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS 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, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

Mr. Trump made extensive criticisms of China’s trade policies, many of which he has made in previous speeches. But the comments were quite pointed and the audience was more diverse than for his speeches in the US.

The British Supreme Court has ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament was illegal. The Court held that the Prime Minister had suspended the Parliament for “no good reason” which riases the possibility of another suspension if the Prime Minister comes up with an acceptable reason. Johnson suspended the Parliament until 14 October so that there could be no debate on Brexit while he finalized his plans for the EU deadline of 31 October. Johnson was defiant, but it is not clear what the next steps may be. The EU has remained adamant that there will not be any revision to the agreement forged by the former Prime Minister May. There is no likelihood of a snap election before 31 October. A “no-deal” Brexit seems to be most probable.