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REUTERS
NEW YORK
US President Donald Trump used his annual address to the United Nations on Tuesday to attack Iran's"corrupt dictatorship,"praise last year's bogeyman North Korea and lay down a defiant message that he will reject globalism and protect American interests.
"We will never surrender America's sovereignty to an unelected, unaccountable, global bureaucracy,"Trump said, in language popular with his political base."America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism."
Trump's 35-minute address was met largely by silence from world leaders still not comfortable with go-it-alone views that have strained US relationships with traditional allies worldwide.
His speech, while delivered in a low-key fashion, was nonetheless a thunderous recitation of his"America First"policies. He has disrupted the world order by withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord, and threatened to punish NATO nations for not paying more for their common defence.
"Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends. And we expect other countries to pay their fair share for the cost of their defence,"he said.
Besides calling out Iran, Trump also criticised China for its trade practices but made no mention of Russia's interference in Syria's war or its suspected meddling in US elections.
Offering an alternative view when it was his turn at the podium, French President Emmanuel Macron told the delegates that the law of the survival of the fittest, protectionism and isolationism would only lead to heightened tensions.
Defending multilateralism and collective action, he warned that nationalism would lead to failure and if countries stopped defending basic principles, global wars would return.
"I do not accept the erosion of multilateralism and don't accept our history unraveling,"Macron told the assembly at times raising his voice."Our children are watching."
Trump aimed much of his remarks squarely at Iran and its"corrupt dictatorship,"which the United States accuses of harboring nuclear ambitions and fomenting instability in the Middle East through its support for militant groups in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
"Iran's leaders sow chaos, death and destruction,"Trump told the gathering in the green-marbled hall."They do not respect their neighbours or borders or the sovereign rights of nations."
Macron, citing the example of Iran, which minutes earlier Trump had called on the world to isolate, Macron said that this unilateralism push would lead directly to conflicts.
Trump, who begins his political rallies with boasts about his economic record in less than two years in office, used the same rhetoric before the crowd of world leaders and diplomats, telling them he had accomplished more than almost any previous US president.
In May, Republican Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 international deal to put curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for easing sanctions. Foes for decades, Washington and Tehran have been increasingly at odds since May. The accord with OPEC member Iran was negotiated under Democratic US President Barack Obama.
"Additional sanctions will resume November 5th and more will follow and we are working with countries that import Iranian crude oil to cut their purchases substantially,"Trump said.
