Thread by @DaveKeating

Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the UN General Assembly says that the Westphalian system of nation-states, aka nationalism, failed. He warns against a return to this discredited unilateral model which led to so much bloodshed.

Macron warns that the current environment is not a blip. Things are not about to go back to normal. There is a crisis of the entire international system, and this is a moment of profound danger.

Macron: "After the second world war, for several decades, we saw a balance that was based on blocs. Then there was the emergence of superpowers. For several years now we've seen new global instability characterised by multiple centers of power."

Macron: "The new balance that we must strike must be based on new forms of international cooperation based on 3 principles:
1) The upholding of sovereignty
2) Enhancng regional cooperation
3) Providing more robust international safeguards"

Macron drawing a sharp contrast to Trump's UN address.

While Trump said the US "rejects globalism", saying all countries should have complete sovereignty, Macron defends the international order and warns "sovereignty" is often used as an excuse by dictators to abuse their power

Macron makes an impassioned defence of the Paris Climate Agreement, and says the rest of the world will move ahead with the Paris system even after (and if) the US pulls out.

He says no trade agreement should be signed with a country that is not in the climate pact.

An impassioned finish to Macron's speech. He pounds the podium, raises his voice and warns against the "rising tide of the law of the strongest". "Only collective action can preserve the sovereignty of peoples", he says.

Macron:"Friends, I know you may be tired of multilateralism. I also know that the world is flooded with information. It all starts to look like a big show. It starts to look like even the worst things can become trendy. It becomes difficult to extricate the cause from the effect"

Macron: "Well this is not a matter of being trendy. For those who brought us here, we have a duty. We must never forget the genocides that led to us being here today, the very genocides which are even fuelled by the erosion of the global order which I spoke of earlier".

Macron: "All of this will happen again if we turn our heads and remain complacent. I come from a country which has made a lot of mistakes. But it is a country which at every turn in its history has thought of that very principle of universality."

Macron: "Please, don't get used to this. Don't accept the erosion of multilateralism. Don’t accept our history unravelling. Our children are watching. Let us address the crisis, let us work together to combat these inequalities - on a human level, mindful of our history."

People seem to be surprised about #Macron's statement that France will not sign any trade deal with a country not in the #ParisAgreement (ie, the US) - but this has been stated government policy for months and is backed by the EU

My article from February forbes.com/sites/davekeat…

Important point - I keep seeing US media say the US 'has' pulled out of #ParisAgreement

That's not true. The US has only given notification that it INTENDS to pull out. Legally it can't actually leave until 4 November 2020.

Yes, by coincidence, that's 1 day after next election.

There has been a working assumption in the UN that should Trump not be the elected president on 4 November 2020, the US stays in.

There are even contingency plans to delay the withdrawal until after 20 January 2021.

This is not a done deal.