A Look At Middle East Diplomacy at the UN

FEATURING KHURY PETERSEN-SMITH – The United Nations General Assembly began its 74th session on Monday September 23rd just days after climate protests broke records. The meeting, taking place at the UN headquarters in New York City is expected to go until September 30th. Eclipsed by the controversy over President Trump soliciting Ukraine for political dirt this week were a number of critical developments that flew under the radar.

The US worked to rally nations to side against Iran after a major air strike on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields. A potential step toward peace in Syria was discussed on the sidelines of the UN meeting. Turkey lobbied for refugee rights. And Egypt faced growing protests at home while President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi avoided the topic altogether.

Khury Petersen-Smith, Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.