Welcome to CFR’s Daily News Brief. Today we’re covering U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), as well as... |
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Trump’s criticism of the United Nations and climate action yesterday was contrasted by other global leaders’ subsequent pledges to invest in multilateralism. In his first address to UNGA since his reelection, Trump claimed the UN was ineffective compared to his own efforts at brokering peace, called warnings over climate change a “con job,” and argued that immigration was destroying societies. He did not detail new strategies for ending the ongoing wars in Gaza or Ukraine, but expressed new confidence in Ukraine’s ability to take back Russian-occupied territory in separate comments later in the day.
Trump’s foreign policy vision. Trump spoke at length about what he viewed as the existential threat of migration. He offered few new foreign policy initiatives other than announcing the United States would lead an effort to halt the development of biological weapons. Regarding the war in Ukraine, he criticized countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. More generally, he also urged countries to spurn renewable energy.
The view from the rest of the world. Speeches from many other world leaders, including major U.S. allies, called for increased multilateral cooperation and implicitly pushed back against Trump’s words. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke about the need to respect international law, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung highlighted the need to de-escalate conflicts through diplomacy, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed the need for climate action. In one of the few direct responses to Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron told a French television network that if Trump really wants the Nobel Peace Prize, he should end the war in Gaza.
Headlines from bilateral meetings. Despite Trump’s criticism from the podium, he later told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that he backed the organization “100 percent” because “the potential for peace with this organization is so great.” Trump also appeared to shift on Ukraine, writing on social media that Ukraine could win back territory lost to Russia. Previously, Trump had spoken of territory swaps as part of a deal to end the war. As he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump also said NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace.
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“Anyone familiar with the United Nations sympathized when [Trump] dismissed its penchant for a ‘strongly worded letter’ and ‘empty words’ in place of effective action. He offered no practical solutions, however, for improving the organization’s operations.” |
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In today’s global trading system, countries are moving in a more liquid manner between different partners depending on the issue, CFR President Michael Froman says on Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast. |
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| What You Missed: The UN at CFR |
World leaders and thinkers are visiting CFR during the UN General Assembly week. We’ll bring you their insights in the Daily News Brief every morning.
CFR experts unpack Trump’s speech: While Trump called the United States the strongest economy in the world, “I think that is aspirational,” said Heidi Crebo-Rediker, pointing to the country’s high unemployment rate, persistent inflation, weakening dollar, and rising deficits. When it comes to global conflicts, Trump is “still trying to bring Russia to the negotiating table through incentives,” said Liana Fix. “That’s a policy… that has not worked.” Meanwhile, on the Middle East, Trump reiterated that the United States “would not recognize a Palestinian state” and blamed the difficulties of securing a ceasefire in Gaza “all on Hamas,” explained Steven A. Cook.
Watch the full briefing with CFR experts.
South Africa expands trade relations: While trade with the United States “is mutually beneficial,” Trump’s tariffs were “a wake-up call” that South Africa needs to diversify its trade with the rest of the world, said President Cyril Ramaphosa. It’s dangerous to retain trade relations with only a few countries, he noted. In addition to lower U.S. tariffs, he called for extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which allows sub-Saharan African countries to export products to the United States duty-free. He also emphasized South Africa’s importance to international trade, noting that “a number of countries…see South Africa as an entry gate into the rest of the continent.”
Watch the full conversation with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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The current international moment calls for new solidarity in which stronger nations help weaker ones, President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a CFR meeting. |
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China’s WTO status. China will stop claiming special developing-country benefits at WTO negotiations, the organization’s chief announced yesterday. The United States and other countries have long pressed China to drop the self-declared developing status. Beijing’s reluctance to do so had been an obstacle to broader WTO reform efforts.
OECD growth forecast up. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecast 3.2 percent world economic growth this year, up from the 2.9 percent it predicted in June. It credited the rise partly to countries front-loading supplies ahead of higher tariffs, adding that “the full effects of tariff increases have yet to be felt.” The OECD also raised the U.S. growth forecast from 1.6 to 1.8 percent, though this remains lower than 2024’s 2.8 percent rate.
Typhoon Ragasa. The typhoon hit southern China today after razing a path that killed at least seventeen people in Taiwan and four in the Philippines. Schools, flights, and businesses were temporarily closed and more than one million people were evacuated in southern China, as in other areas along the typhoon’s path, such as Hong Kong and Macau. Most of the deaths in Taiwan resulted from a lake overflowing.
Duterte charged with murder. The International Criminal Court (ICC) charged former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte with murders carried out between 2013 and 2018 as part of his hardline war on drugs. Both as mayor of Davao City and as president, he directed security forces to carry out criminal killings, the court alleged. Duterte’s lawyer has called for the case’s dismissal, arguing there is no legal basis for it because the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.
Malawi election results. President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat to former President Peter Mutharika in the country’s presidential election, citing Mutharika’s “insurmountable lead.” Mutharika led Malawi from 2014 to 2020 but left office following a disputed election. This year’s election took place against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis.
Financial support for Argentina. The World Bank said yesterday it would accelerate disbursement of $4 billion of previously pledged support for Argentina, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent today said Washington is discussing a $20 billion swap line with Buenos Aires. Trump met with Argentine President Javier Milei yesterday on the sidelines of UNGA; he said he did not think the country needed a bailout, but endorsed Milei for reelection in 2027.
Rainforest fund. Brazil announced it will invest the first $1 billion in a new global rainforest protection fund it hopes to launch at November’s COP30 climate conference. The fund is designed to generate interest payments that will go to countries that preserve tropical rainforests. Brazil, which urged other countries to invest, eventually seeks to raise $125 billion for the fund between public and private contributors.
Talking about nuclear talks. Representatives from the European Union, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Iran held talks yesterday over concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program. They yielded no breakthrough, even as a Saturday deadline to impose new UN sanctions nears, barring new commitments from Iran. Separately, Iran’s top leader said in televised comments yesterday that he rejected the prospect of direct negotiations with the United States on the matter.
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| Today, the UN Security Council hosts a debate on artificial intelligence, peace, and security in New York.
Today, UN Secretary General António Guterres holds an event on countries’ new carbon emissions targets in New York.
Tomorrow, presidential and legislative elections begin in Seychelles. - Tomorrow, Trump hosts Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Washington.
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| Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters |
Iran’s war with Israel earlier this year is an example of how countries are dealing with nuclear proliferation through kinetic action rather than international agreements, CFR expert Ray Takeyh said in this CFR Global Affairs Expert Webinar. |
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