In a fiery debut speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Argentine President Javier Milei, known for his staunch libertarian views, delivered a powerful critique of the United Nations.
Message Oct 8, 2024: This speech was partly plagiarised from a speech by a fictional president in the TV series “The West Wing”.
Javier Milei lambasted the organization’s drift from its foundational mission toward promoting collectivist and authoritarian policies.
The 53-year-old economist-turned-politician warned the world, emphasizing that the UN’s current trajectory, particularly its promotion of the 2030 Agenda, threatens individual freedoms, national sovereignty, and global prosperity.
A Defense of Freedom
Milei began his speech by acknowledging the original purpose of the United Nations, founded after World War II to prevent another global conflict and promote peace. He praised the organization for having facilitated ”the longest period of global peace in history,” a remarkable achievement considering the devastation of two world wars that claimed more than 120 million lives.
”All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” Milei noted, echoing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which he attributed to much of the world’s post-war stability and growth.
However, his praise was short-lived. ”At some point,” he continued, ”this organization stopped looking after its main aims… and started to change.” According to Milei, the UN has shifted from its original purpose of maintaining peace and human rights to becoming a supranational organization that imposes its ideology on member states.
This shift, he argued, has eroded the sovereignty of nations and restricted individual freedoms.
Condemnation of the 2030 Agenda
Javier Milei’s most pointed criticism was directed at the UN’s 2030 Agenda, a framework to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change through sustainable development goals (SDGs).
He described the 2030 Agenda as ”a supranational government program that is socialist in shape,” adding that while its intentions may appear noble, its methods threaten to undermine individual rights and national autonomy.
”It purports to resolve the problems of modernity with solutions that afflict the sovereignty of nation-states and violate the right to life, freedom, and property of persons,” he argued. Milei contended that the UN’s collectivist policies were fundamentally flawed, as they impose regulations and restrictions that stifle economic growth and exacerbate the problems they seek to solve.
He cited Argentina’s experience with collectivist policies, which he claimed led to ”poverty, anarchy, and a total lack of liberty.”
Challenges to Global Governance and International Institutions
Milei was equally scathing in his critique of global governance structures, particularly economic policy-related ones. He accused international credit bodies of fostering ”toxic relationships” with developing nations, forcing them into perpetual debt through programs they neither want nor need.
This economic interference, he argued, prevents poorer countries from utilizing their resources and stifles their development.
He also criticized the UN for its stance on environmental policies, particularly zero-emission targets, which he claimed disproportionately harm poorer nations. According to Milei, these policies, rooted in ”Malthusian stances,” restrict economic growth in developing countries and exacerbate global inequality.
The UN’s Failures on Human Rights and Security
Milei further criticized the UN for what he saw as its hypocrisy in promoting human rights. He called out the organization’s inclusion of ”bloody dictatorships” such as Cuba and Venezuela on the Human Rights Council, accusing it of turning a blind eye to their abuses. ”In this same house that purports to defend human rights,” Milei said, ”we have also included bloody dictatorships… without reproach.”
Additionally, he criticized the UN’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict, lamenting that the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, Israel, has been consistently targeted. At the same time, the organization fails to address the threat of terrorism.
On the issue of global security, Milei pointed to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which he described as an ”aberrant Russian invasion,” resulting in the deaths of over 300,000 people and wounding more than one million.
He condemned the UN’s inaction on the conflict, asserting that the organization has become ”powerless to provide solutions to true global conflicts.”
Argentina’s and Javier Milei’s Direction: Championing Freedom
Milei’s speech also declared Argentina’s new foreign policy direction. He emphasized that Argentina is undergoing a ”profound process of change” by embracing the principles of freedom, which include the defense of life, property, freedom of expression, worship, trade, and limited government.
This shift, he explained, marks a departure from Argentina’s historical policy of neutrality in global affairs. ”From this day on,” Milei declared, ”the Republic of Argentina will abandon its policy of historic neutrality and will be on the vanguard in the struggle for the defense of freedom.”
He called on like-minded nations to join Argentina in opposing the 2030 Agenda and advocating for a ”new agenda for this noble institution, that is, the agenda for freedom.”
Milei’s speech concluded with a persistent call to action: ”If the United Nations wants to resume the principles that led to its birth and adopt the role for which it was designed, it can count on the full support of Argentina in its struggle for freedom.”
However, he made it clear that Argentina would not support policies restricting individual freedoms or violating natural rights, regardless of international consensus.
Conclusion: A Battle for the Future of Global Governance
Javier Milei’s address to the United Nations General Assembly was a stark departure from the diplomatic rhetoric typically expected at such gatherings. His speech marked a bold challenge to the status quo of global governance, accusing the UN of overreach and mismanagement and calling for a return to the organization’s original purpose of defending freedom and sovereignty.
By denouncing the 2030 Agenda and collectivist policies, Milei positioned Argentina as a leader in the global fight for individual liberty, national sovereignty, and free markets. As he declared to the assembly, ”Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
With this speech, Milei outlined his vision for Argentina’s role on the world stage and invited nations to reconsider the direction of global governance in the 21st century. Whether his message will resonate with other leaders remains to be seen, but Milei clarified that Argentina will stand for freedom—no matter the cost.
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