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Consider This from NPR
Consider This from NPR

Sep 19, 2026 · 10 min

The UN’s global stage loses influence as crises intensify

High stakes drama on display over the years at the UN General Assembly

The episode connects the spectacle of General Assembly week to a deeper question: whether the United Nations can still shape diplomacy when major powers bypass or paralyze it.

3 key takeaways
  1. 1General Assembly speeches turn diplomacy into global theater, from Chávez’s confrontation with George Bush to Gaddafi’s marathon address.
  2. 2Hallway encounters and logistical chaos make New York’s annual gathering an unpredictable reporting environment where news can emerge anywhere.
  3. 3U.S. disengagement, competing forums, and Security Council paralysis have made the United Nations less central despite mounting international crises.

Don't miss

Omar Gaddafi’s 2009 General Assembly speech stretches to roughly an hour and a half, creating confusion around the interpreter and turning diplomacy into spectacle.

The brief

For two decades, Michele Kellerman has covered the United Nations General Assembly as both diplomatic forum and global theater, where leaders’ speeches can become international confrontations.

The episode revisits Donald Trump’s criticism of the United Nations, the clash between an anti-refugee message and the institution’s displacement agenda, and America’s retreat from an organization it helped create.

The standout episode is Omar Gaddafi’s 2009 address, which ran roughly 90 minutes instead of the customary 15 and left reporters navigating interpreter confusion and political spectacle.

General Assembly week turns New York City into a maze of blocked roads, security restrictions, crowded schedules, and informal encounters that can produce more news than formal meetings.

Kellerman argues that the United Nations now carries less diplomatic weight: the Security Council is constrained by its own permanent members, while alternative forums further dilute its role.

Featuring

MKMichele Kellerman

Mentioned

UNUnited NationsUnited Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyOGOmar GaddafiDonald John TrumpDonald John TrumpNYNew York City

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The UN’s global stage loses influence as crises intensify | PodLume