Peace still possible in W Asia: Biden

President Joe Biden declared the US must not retreat from the world, as he delivered his final address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday as Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon edged toward all-out war and Israel’s operation against Hamas in Gaza neared the one-year mark.

Biden used his wide-ranging address to speak to a need to end the West Asia conflict and the 17-month-old civil war in Sudan and to highlight US and Western allies’ support for Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

His appearance before the international body also offered Biden one of his last high-profile opportunities as president to make the case to keep up robust support for Ukraine, which could be in doubt if former President Donald Trump, who has scoffed at the cost of the war, defeats Vice President Kamala Harris in November. Still, Biden insisted despite global conflicts, he remained hopeful for the future.

“I’ve seen a remarkable sweep of history,” Biden said. “I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair but I do not...We are stronger than we think,” he added.

Biden came to office promising to rejuvenate US relations around the world and to extract the US from ‘forever wars’ in Afghanistan and Iraq that consumed American foreign policy over the last 20 years.