“USELESS ORGANIZATION.” — MILEI’S UN SPEECH ERUPTS INTO A GLOBAL CONTROVERSY

 

 

 

Argentine President Javier Milei delivered one of the most confrontational speeches of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 23, directly challenging the institution’s role and authority.

Milei began by acknowledging the United Nations’ original mission of defending international law, national sovereignty, and peaceful cooperation, before arguing that the organization had moved away from those principles.

He then delivered his most provocative line, calling the United Nations a “useless organization” and accusing it of sustaining a bureaucratic caste he described in sharply derogatory terms.

According to Milei, the institution created to protect collective security and human rights had instead allowed chaos, violence, and international terrorism to flourish across the world.

Those statements were Milei’s political assessment, rather than an independent finding by the United Nations, and they formed the foundation of his wider criticism of the institution.

The Argentine president also accused the organization of failing to respond effectively to what he considers violations involving Israel, dictatorships, terrorism, and other international conflicts.

The sharpest part of the speech focused on the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, a sovereignty dispute that has remained unresolved between Argentina and Britain.

Milei called the Malvinas a national cause and argued that the dispute demonstrates what he sees as a gap between international resolutions and their practical enforcement.

He specifically pointed to a 1976 General Assembly resolution urging Argentina and Britain to avoid unilateral changes while the sovereignty dispute remained under discussion at the time.

Milei argued that decades later, actions surrounding offshore oil exploration were continuing despite that resolution, making enforcement and institutional authority central themes of his address.

The dispute has gained additional attention because the Sea Lion oil project is advancing in waters around the Falkland Islands, with Argentina challenging the legality of British-issued licenses.

Britain rejects Argentina’s sovereignty claim and maintains that Falkland Islanders have the right to determine their political future, underscoring the fundamental disagreement behind the dispute.

Milei said Argentina would continue pursuing what he called a peaceful, practical, and effective defense, while warning that Buenos Aires would not simply wait for international action.

His government has already taken legal and administrative measures against companies connected to offshore activity near the islands, according to Argentina’s official account of the speech.

Milei’s criticism extended beyond territorial disputes, focusing on what he described as excessive international regulation involving economics, environmental policy, gender issues, immigration, and other areas across several countries.

He also revisited the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that international organizations supported lockdown policies that, in his view, caused severe social and economic consequences.

Milei went further by describing the pandemic response as a global experiment in social control, a contentious characterization that he presented as evidence of institutional overreach.

Artificial intelligence became another major theme, with Milei rejecting calls for heavy preventive regulation and arguing that technology could dramatically expand productivity, medicine, education, and economic growth.

He said Argentina intends to position itself at the forefront of AI development, emphasizing investment, critical minerals, energy resources, limited regulation, and a business environment attracting technology companies.

Milei ultimately said Argentina would remain engaged in multilateral institutions while distinguishing cooperation from subordination, closing with a broader message about sovereignty, technological ambition, and national independence.