United Nations: Secretary General Antonio Guterres had called for a multipolar world with strong multilateral institutions. The four populist leaders that opened the high level debate of the General Assembly did not agree.
President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, President Donald Trump, President of Egypt Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan all spoke about sovereignty and national interest.
In his speech, Bolsonaro accused the socialist government of Venezuela and Cuba of corrupting Brazil and interfering in its internal affairs. At his first UN presence, Bolsonaro targeted international media for their coverage of the Amazon wildfire.
Despite his slow tone, Trump was not less harsh. After recalling his administration’s economic achievement, he went ahead and criticized the regimes of China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.
Trump had plenty of time to condemn illegal immigration and reiterated that “America will never be a socialist country”.
From the Middle East, Sisi and Erdogan both acted as self-proclaimed leaders of the region and urged the international community to put an end to the Syrian and Libyan crises and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The start of the first day featured autocratic heads of state and their inflammatory personalities. Other countries will have until Monday to respond to the comments that were made.
Reporting by Ilaria Maroni at the United Nations, Filming & Editing by UNTV, Qicheng Yang