Welcome to CFR’s Daily News Brief. Today we’re covering U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), as well as... |
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Trump will outline his vision of the United States’ role in the world as he addresses UNGA today. His administration’s funding cuts and withdrawal from some UN bodies have intensified debate about the organization’s effectiveness as it turns eighty. Trump plans to criticize “globalist institutions” in his speech and argue that his vision for the world is more “constructive,” citing his efforts to negotiate ends to several wars, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Leaders of countries including France, Qatar, and Poland will also address the body today.
A flurry of diplomacy. Later today, Trump is due to hold bilateral meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Argentine President Javier Milei, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He will also meet with leaders of Arab and Muslim countries regarding the war in Gaza. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will be absent after the United States denied him a visa.
A spotlight on diplomatic shifts. Despite criticism of the UN’s effectiveness, its annual gathering is serving as the stage for diplomatic shifts regarding global conflict hot spots. At a meeting hosted by France and Saudi Arabia yesterday, an increasing number of Western countries rallied behind the prospect of Palestinian statehood and called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian president in more than half a century to attend the General Assembly, as he pushes for Damascus’s political and economic normalization following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
The UN’s transformation. Following U.S. funding cuts, senior UN officials have proposed reducing the UN’s regular 2026 budget by around 15 percent and staff by 19 percent compared to current levels. A separate budget for peacekeeping operations would also be reduced. Leaders and diplomats this week are expected to weigh in on the reform plan and their vision for the selection of the next UN Secretary-General, due next year.
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“The United Nations undoubtedly needs reform. But its perceived ineffectiveness stems largely from member states’ unwillingness to compromise. If countries turn away from the ideals that once brought them together to create the United Nations, no amount of reform will be enough to save it. And it is those with the smallest voices—malnourished children awaiting food and medicine, or civilians protected by peacekeeping missions—that will bear the cost of a diminished United Nations.”
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| Shannon Stapleton/Reuters |
From conflict resolution to climate action, the UN has played an evolving role over the past eight decades in attempting to address global challenges, CFR editors write in this timeline. | | |
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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.
Canada’s role in a fractured world: Reflecting on shifts in the international order at CFR on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the current moment “a rupture,” not a transition. He discussed how Canada, as a middle power, might be able to leverage its resources of critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and energy—as well as its values and trade and security partnerships—to thrive in the new, evolving international order. “We’re no longer reliant on just the strength of our values, but the value of our strength,” he said, citing Canada’s involvement in Europe, Ukraine, and the Middle East, its defense commitments, and its expanded partnerships with major economies.
Watch the full conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Namibia’s push for global reform: Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah urged reforming the global financial system to “reflect the reality of today’s multipolar and interconnected world” and support African value creation. “For too long, African natural resources have been leaving the continent,” she said, adding that “we are structuring the economy so that we become the producer and the processor”—a shift aimed at creating jobs amid high youth unemployment. She also called for global governance reforms to amplify voices from the Global South, noting that “small states have a big responsibility” to help shape the international order.
Watch the full conversation with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. |
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Russian fighter jets in Estonia’s airspace prompted a reaction from NATO and added to a troubling trend, CFR Senior Fellow Max Boot writes in this Expert Brief. |
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EU-Indonesia trade deal. The EU and Indonesia finalized a trade agreement in Bali today to eliminate 98 percent of tariffs on each other’s goods, EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said. It is the latest free trade deal struck in the wake of Trump’s tariffs. Indonesian officials said they aim to ratify the pact by January 2027 and expect it to double bilateral trade within five years.
Egypt pardons activist. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday pardoned Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, the country’s most prominent political prisoner. Abd El Fattah had been jailed for much of the last twelve years and was expected to be released last September following completion of his sentence, but authorities refused to count two years of pre-trial detention. His supporters appealed to the British government to press Egypt for his release, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Sisi about the matter earlier this year.
U.S.-Russia arms control deal. Russia is prepared to extend its last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the United States for one year, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday. The New START treaty, due to expire in February, limits both countries to 1,500 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. It also requires inspections for compliance, though Russia suspended these in 2023.
Drone flagged in Denmark. Danish authorities halted flights at the country’s main airport after two or three large drones were identified nearby. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called them a “serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure.” She did not immediately assign blame, but highlighted recent Russian drone and fighter jet incursions into European airspace during remarks to public broadcaster DR.
U.S. backing for Argentina... Washington is ready to financially back Argentine President Javier Milei’s efforts to stabilize the country’s economy through swap lines, currency purchases, and purchases of U.S. dollar-denominated debt, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on social media yesterday. He is due to meet with Milei today. The value of the Argentine peso had been falling in recent weeks, prompting Argentine government intervention. The U.S. Federal Reserve, which manages swap lines, declined to comment.
…and sanctions for Brazil. Washington yesterday sanctioned the wife of the Brazilian Supreme Court justice who oversaw the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro as well as a holding company for the family wealth, describing the measure as a consequence of the judge’s “politicized prosecutions.” The judge said Brazil’s institutions were “sound” and would not be influenced by U.S. targeting. The Brazilian Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro earlier this month of planning a coup.
Sahel pullouts from ICC. The junta-run governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of “neocolonial repression” and unspecified failures of capably prosecuting war crimes. The move follows Hungary’s announcement in April of plans to exit the court, a process which takes over a year.
New Zealand expands visas. The government announced it will open two new paths to residency for skilled workers in mid-2026. It did not immediately announce which sectors will be eligible. An anti-immigration party in the governing coalition criticized the measure, but the government said it was responding to needs of private companies and was committed to “flexible and nuanced” immigration policies.
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| Today, the Asian Development Bank’s Asia Finance Forum begins in the Philippines.
Today, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim begins a visit to Timor Leste.
Tomorrow, the UN Security Council hosts a debate on artificial intelligence, peace, and security in New York. - Tomorrow, UN Secretary General António Guterres holds an event on countries’ new carbon emissions targets in New York.
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