By Donia FiroozSpecial to the Chronicle

This week the United Nations General Assembly commenced. With it being President Trump’s first time participating, every nation was anticipating the words he would choose to share with the world. He read his speech off of a teleprompter, which was different than his usual over-the-top speeches that he writes himself.

The president has been known to have a dark and menacing tone when giving speeches. During the General Assembly, he explained that sovereignty should be the path that guides nations. It was a clear defiance of the roots of the U.N. He said, “I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first.” 

President Trump went on to depart from the bipartisan cooperation of foreign policy. He also departed from the words of former President Obama to work cooperatively with other nations. He rather chose to emphasize the importance of sovereignty and independence of each nation.

Although some agree with independence of nations, a level of unanimous support and teamwork are important for the nations to remain peaceful. Throughout history, we have seen the repercussions of nations with too strong a sense of nationalism. Even though pride and love for your own country is good, too much can often cause tremendous issues with those that are not from your nation. Many of the greatest wars have been fought over the lack of cooperation and compromise of nations. Ultimately, the president’s obstinate speech caused much speculation on his willingness to continue the collaborative ways of the U.N.

President Trump continued his speech to the General Assembly by pointing out North Korea. He called the tyrannical leader, Kim Jong-un “rocket-man” and said, “United States forces would have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” These words caused more fear among Americans than they did among North Koreans. His words do not come from the desire to impose political and social practices onto North Korea, but rather to impose the “strength” of the U.S. over North Korea.

With a new round of sanctions toward North Korea, we can only wait and see what the outcome will be. Overall, the president’s speech at the General Assembly continued his pattern of defiant and menacing tones. This way of displaying American foreign policy will lead to nothing more than discouragement among the national leaders around the world. The president must realize that his speeches are the way that the world perceives not just him, but the whole country. More positive and cooperative tones will improve the world’s view of American foreign policy.

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