Biden rallies nations as tensions increase
Launching into his impassioned 30-minute speech at the United Nations Wednesday, President Joe Biden accused Russia of having “shamelessly violated” a core tenet of the U.N. charter prohibiting the taking of another country by force. ⬤ Everything the U.N. stands for is at risk if Russia can take another nation by force, Biden told the annual gathering of world leaders as Russia takes steps to rebuild its military. ⬤ “Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe,” Biden said, “that should make your blood run cold.” ⬤ Speaking days after he angered China by once again promising to come to Taiwan’s aid if China attacks, Biden said the United States continues “to oppose unilateral changes in the status quo by either side.” ⬤ Biden’s international stature has strengthened, in part, because of his successful role weathering the crisis in Ukraine. It’s a sharp departure from his stance during his inaugural United Nations address last year, delivered soon after the U.S.’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. ⬤ But despite the praise he’s received for building a coalition of support for Ukraine, he still faces a mountain of international problems. Is Taiwan next?
Biden emphasized principles stated in the United Nations’ charter on self-determination and international order that can both help rally continued support for Ukraine and also address China’s saber-rattling against Taiwan. “The U.N. charter’s very basis of a stable and just rule-based order is under attack by those who wish to tear down or distort it for their own political advantage,” Biden said. “And the United Nations charter was not only signed by democracies of the world, it was negotiated among citizens of dozens of nations with vastly different histories and ideologies, united in their commitment to work for peace.” It’s an argument that could be better received by other countries than Biden’s frequent framing of geopolitical issues as the battle of democracies vs. autocracies, according to Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank in Washington.
Countries that don’t believe in democracy, or think the U.S. has an imperfect record in supporting democracies over other interests, could win over an audience that respects basic norms and rules about peaceful co-existence, Patrick said. “That’s the sort of framing that is going to get the most applause at a place like the United Nations, where countries, for a variety of historical reasons, are understandably wary of aligning themselves too closely with either one bloc or another,” Patrick said.
Sending a warning to China
Biden provoked China when he said in an interview that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if it’s attacked. In response, China spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden violated the U.S.’s commitment not to support Taiwan’s independence.
Lowering food prices
The war in Ukraine deepened what already was projected to be record levels of food insecurity in the world caused by rising costs, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and civil wars.
Biden is set to announce more than $2.9 billion in new help, most of it emergency assistance for the hardest-hit countries.
Other funding provides more medium and longer-term assistance through adding school feeding projects in Africa and East Asia and helping developing countries, including by boosting agriculture productivity. Food security challenges will be particularly challenging next year, and that could lead to political instability in developing countries, said Romina Bandura, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another think tank in Washington.
“I’d like the West to respond more on the Ukraine front, both humanitarian-wise, not just for Ukraine, but for countries that are suffering because of the war,” she said.
Face-to-face diplomacy
There will be more opportunities for leaders to confer in person after three years of pandemic interruptions to the annual gathering.
“It’s an opportunity now, post-COVID with in-person travel, for important conversations to be had face-to-face on the sidelines,” Goldberg said. Biden had his first sit-down with
Liz Truss, Great Britain’s new prime minister. The issues they were expected to talk about included the war in Ukraine, China, energy issues and Northern Ireland.
In brief public remarks before their private meeting, Truss said she wants to work more closely with the U.S., especially on energy security and also on making sure that “democracies prevail.”