The UN General Assembly: Focus on Wars?

Today, Friday, our Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is scheduled to address the General Assembly of the United Nations at the UN headquarters in New York. While we are not aware of the thrust of his presentation, at least Vincentians can be assured that in both content and delivery we will be well represented. In fact, such is the level of Caribbean representation, that most of our leaders, save for one possible exception, are expected to deliver themselves well, based on past experiences.

The Assembly, an historic one since it marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the world body, began its annual debate on Tuesday with the highlight expected to be the address by the leader of the host nation, President Donald Trump of the USA. However, even before he commenced, the decision of the host country not to provide visas for the leadership of the newly recognized Palestinian State to attend the Assembly, had already soured the atmosphere. President Trump had to answer criticisms and condemnation of his government’s actions, not just regarding the visa issue, but above all, for its support for the genocide being committed against the Palestinian people by Israel. He was at his duplicitous best, calling for an end to the massacre of the Palestinian people, but not announcing one single measure to force Israel to comply. In a speech in which he boasted of “ending seven wars worldwide”, he gave no indication what his government would do to pressure the Israelis into at least agreeing to a ceasefire.

One of the worst aspects of his address was his tasteless emphasis on American exceptionalism and boast about his country’s supposed “superiority” as if it is a right and all other nations should bow to American power. True to form, he relied a lot on dubious statistics but the message was completely out of place.

The Palestinian issue will dominate the General Assembly proceedings, and it will be interesting to note what those European governments which have announced last-minute recognitions of the Palestinian state will explain as to their efforts not only to end the war but to provide material support for the Palestinian people. There can be no Palestinian state without the Palestinian people. It is expected that CARICOM States will reiterate their full support for an end to the genocide and support for the Palestinian people, emphasizing that there is no war in Gaza but genocide in the full view of the entire world.

Closer home however, CARICOM leaders are expected to apprise the General Assembly of the encroaching danger in the southern Caribbean with the US military crowding the region with heavily armed troops, and in fact have begun a campaign of “judge, jury and executioner” against what they deem to be drug traffickers.

The context is the unrelenting threat by the USA against Venezuela, using both the “drug trafficking” excuse and its open hostility against the Venezuela government. Given the fragile situation in relation to the Venzuela/Guyana border dispute and the grave danger of a military conflagration in the region, all CARICOM States, bar one, are concerned about an armed conflagration violating what is regarded as the Caribbean being a Zone of Peace. It is sad that at a time when the people of the world face such serious threats as the effects of climate change, world hunger and disease and gross inequality between the rich and billions of the poor, that global events like the General Assembly should be dominated by issues pertaining to needless wars. Is that our legacy to our children and youth?