By Alex Rivera
America News World
New York, September 22, 2025
As the autumn sun casts long shadows over the East River, the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan pulses with the quiet frenzy of preparation. World leaders from over 150 nations are descending on New York this week for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80), a gathering that feels less like a diplomatic triumph and more like a desperate huddle in a storm. With unyielding conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, a resurgent America under President Donald Trump’s second term upending global alliances, and the UN itself teetering on the brink of financial collapse, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The high-level meetings begin Tuesday, September 23, but the real drama starts today with side events that promise to expose the fractures in our interconnected world.
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For Americans, this UNGA isn’t just another photo-op for foreign dignitaries—it’s a litmus test for the Trump administration’s “America First” reboot. President Trump, fresh off his January inauguration, will take the podium Tuesday morning, mere moments after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers his sobering “state of the world” address. Whispers in diplomatic circles suggest Trump plans to tout his foreign policy wins—perhaps even dangling the Nobel Peace Prize he once coveted—as he outlines a vision that prioritizes U.S. economic muscle over multilateral hand-holding. “Tariffs, not talks,” one senior State Department official quipped anonymously, hinting at the protectionist edge that could redefine trade with China, the EU, and even allies like India.
But beneath the bravado lies a deeper unease. The U.S., long the UN’s biggest benefactor, has slashed its contributions to the organization’s regular and peacekeeping budgets, triggering a 15% cut to the 2026 operating budget—down to $3.2 billion—and the elimination of 2,681 staff positions. Critics, including former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (who served under Trump’s first term), argue this is fiscal prudence in an era of ballooning domestic deficits. Detractors, however, see it as self-sabotage. “We’re kneecapping the very institution that amplifies American values,” said Susan Rice, Obama’s national security advisor, in a recent CNN interview. As Guterres himself warned last week, “International cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in our lifetimes.” For U.S. taxpayers footing a $858 billion defense bill this year, the question lingers: Is the UN worth saving, or is it time to let it sink?
The shadow of Gaza looms largest over this assembly, a humanitarian catastrophe that has claimed over 40,000 lives since October 2023 and displaced millions. Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza City, launched just days ago, has forced another wave of evacuations, drawing fresh accusations of genocide from a UN Human Rights Council report. Jerusalem dismissed the findings as “distorted and false,” but the damage is done. Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour declared Gaza the “huge elephant” in the room, and he’s not wrong. A high-level meeting today, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aims to revive the two-state solution—a dream deferred for nearly eight decades. Yet, hours before the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly last week to endorse Palestinian statehood, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly stated, “There will be no Palestinian state.”
The Trump White House has poured fuel on the fire by revoking visas for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several officials, barring them from addressing the assembly in person. In a nod to procedural fairness, the GA voted Friday to allow Abbas to speak via video link—a workaround reminiscent of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 amid Russia’s invasion. Zelenskyy, attending in person this year, will likely use his platform to rally support as Moscow and Kyiv trade drone strikes in a war now entering its fourth year. A Security Council session on Ukraine is slated for Tuesday, where U.S. Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea is expected to push for more sanctions on Russia, even as Trump has signaled a willingness to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
America’s visa snub extends beyond Palestine. Reports emerged Sunday that the administration denied entry to Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, citing security concerns post the December ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader now steering Damascus toward fragile stability, was set to make his UN debut—a missed opportunity for Washington to court a post-Assad Syria. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian faces a similar squeeze: The Security Council just punted on lifting UN sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, giving negotiators until September 27 to strike a deal or trigger a “snapback.” With Trump eyeing a tougher stance on Iran, Pezeshkian’s New York visit could be his last under current rules.
Closer to home, U.S. foreign policy ripples are felt in bilateral meets. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrives today for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a pairing that underscores the Quad’s (U.S., India, Japan, Australia) pivot against China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, is skipping the high-level session for the first time in years, sending Jaishankar in his stead amid domestic priorities. Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, meanwhile, plans a high-profile sit-down with Trump alongside Muslim leaders, aiming to mend fences strained by Islamabad’s alleged support for Afghan militants. Trump, never one to shy from spectacle, reportedly quipped to aides, “Sharif better bring the tea—and the intel on those terror camps.”
These encounters aren’t just schmoozing; they’re lifelines in a world Guterres describes as “turbulent—even uncharted—waters.” Climate change tops the agenda, with side events on Monday marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference—a stark reminder that gender equality remains 300 years away at current rates. Sudan’s civil war, the world’s worst displacement crisis with 10 million uprooted, Haiti’s gang-riddled chaos (where armed groups control 90% of Port-au-Prince), and Somalia’s Al-Shabab insurgency all demand attention. And then there’s AI: Guterres warns of technologies “racing ahead without guardrails,” a nod to Silicon Valley’s unchecked innovation that even Trump allies like Elon Musk have flagged as risky.
For the U.S., the UNGA is also a mirror to domestic divides. Trump’s speech could signal a thaw—or freeze—in relations with Beijing, where tariffs loom large. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned last week that U.S. investment demands could spark a financial crisis in Seoul, echoing broader Asian anxieties. In Congress, a bipartisan delegation led by Rep. Ami Bera slammed the administration’s H-1B visa fee hike to $100,000 as “poorly thought out,” worrying tech hubs like Andhra Pradesh in India but seeing a “silver lining” for American workers. Rubio, in today’s Jaishankar huddle, is expected to double down on defense pacts, fresh off India-U.S. moves to enhance military ties.
Yet, amid the pomp and peril, optimism flickers. Guterres has lined up over 150 bilateral meetings to “bridge divides, reduce risks, and find solutions.” Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group, predicts three dominants: Trump’s mood (hoping for positivity on his “accomplishments”), Gaza’s horrors, and the UN’s existential funding crunch. “The U.S. isn’t walking away,” Gowan told America News World, “but it’s an extraordinarily difficult period. The UN will muddle through—shrinking, changing, but enduring.”
As limousines clog First Avenue and interpreters scramble with earpieces, New Yorkers brace for the circus. Protests are already brewing: Palestinian advocates outside the UN, Ukrainian flags waving in Midtown, climate activists chaining themselves to barricades. For Americans, this UNGA isn’t abstract—it’s about jobs protected by tariffs, alliances tested by isolationism, and a rules-based order fraying at the edges. Can leaders build a better world, or will it dissolve into “posturing and promises,” as Guterres fears?
Trump’s address Tuesday may hold clues. Will he channel the dealmaker who brokered Abraham Accords, or the disruptor who once called the UN a “club for people to have a good time”? Over 145 nations now recognize Palestine; 10 more may join this week. Zelenskyy seeks arms for Kyiv; Pezeshkian, a nuclear olive branch. In a polarized era, progress feels elusive, but history whispers that even in rubble, institutions rise. As Guterres urges, this is an opportunity “that can’t be missed.” For America—and the world—let’s hope he’s right.
Alex Rivera covers international affairs for America News World, with a focus on U.S. foreign policy intersections.
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