Donald Trump's UNGA address reveals a new global reality: A tougher world for countries like India.

In the post-truth spectacle that was his UN General Assembly speech, Donald Trump ushered America into a golden age, dismissed climate change as a “con job", claimed “illegal aliens" (illegal immigrants) were destroying nations, and declared he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for ending seven wars, including India-Pakistan flare-up—only lamenting that the Russia-Ukraine conflict didn’t make the list.

Now, we all know he is prone to speaking his (self-declared “really smart") mind, going off script, being dramatic, stretching credulity, tearing some down, exalting others, and ambushing a few. Trump's UNGA speech this week had all this, and then some.

For those who did not—or could not—sit through his meandering, nearly hour-long address, here are a few gems:

• China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil. (He also discovered—just two weeks ago, by his own admission—that Nato countries are funding the war too by buying Russian gas and oil.)

• Climate change is the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion.

• Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe, and nobody's doing anything to change it, to get them out. And because they choose to be politically correct, they're doing just absolutely nothing about it. (Your countries are going to hell, he warned.)

• I'm telling you that if you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail (he told Europe because it worries him).

• Never use the word coal—only use the words clean, beautiful coal.

• Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements, but for me, the real prize will be saving lives. (Anybody counting how many times he has nominated himself for the prize?)

Last but not least, the man belittled the UN from its own podium:

• These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much.

If your head is spinning, I can’t blame you. Credit to the diplomats, leaders, and delegates who endured his tirade with mostly straight faces, nervous smiles, and the occasional polite laugh.

There were moments of comic confusion, too—like when he said he actually liked Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, only to add that Brazil was doing poorly “because it was not working with Trump and the US."

The theatre continued even outside the assembly. When the New York Police stopped French President Emmanuel Macron’s convoy due to traffic curbs for Trump’s motorcade, not even a direct call to him helped. Macron had to walk to the French UN mission.

Passive-aggressive payback, perhaps, for Macron’s recognition of a separate state of Palestine?

Takeaways from this?

For Trump, the headline issues are trade, wars, immigration, deflating the climate change hoax, and slamming Europe and the UN (read: multilateralism). And, of course, winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

For anyone still looking to Washington for leadership—that ain’t coming. Trump is all for America alone—“the greatest economy in the world, with the most advanced weapons and technology".

The world’s rifts are widening, fissures deepening; the so-called global order—what even is that now?

It looks like it’s about to get a lot tougher for countries like India. Building alliances is getting harder because nations now align around convenience and local interests, not shared values.

Here are other news from the week:

Western nations recognize the Palestinian state

France, Canada, the UK, and several other Western nations have formally recognized the State of Palestine—a move that further deepens Israel’s international isolation over its conduct in the Gaza war.

Earlier this year, a wave of European countries—including Ireland, Norway, and Spain—and Caribbean nations such as Barbados also extended recognition.

In total, 157 of the 193 UN member states—representing roughly 81% of the international community—now recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.

New Syrian President makes his UN debut

Guess who was the toast of the town at the 80th UNGA? A nattily dressed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He was courted by world leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

Now, why would (or should) such a meeting make headlines?

Well, al-Sharaa was once better known by a different name—Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the former head of Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate—with a $10 million US bounty on his head.

And there he was, attending the UNGA session at the organization’s New York headquarters—surrounded by world leaders, some of whom once wished him dead.

Ukraine can win the war, says Trump

Remember how Trump promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours? Then in a week? Well, it’s now been eight months since he took office—and there’s still no end in sight. Not even after a face-to-face summit with his “friend", Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Alaska this August.

Understandably frustrating for a man who thrives on his self-proclaimed deal-making prowess.

Another thing he’s good at: abrupt about-turns. This week, he said Ukraine and Nato could take on Moscow militarily. Not only that—Ukraine could actually win back the territory it has lost to Russia.

“Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump wrote on his social-media platform, Truth Social.

That’s a first, even for Trump, who only months ago told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the White House and on camera, that Ukraine was “losing the war, badly".

Japan deploys fighter jets to Europe, North America

Two Japan Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) F-15 fighter jets have landed at a German airbase for joint military exercises, marking the first-ever deployment of ASDF combat aircraft to Europe.

The move comes as countries across Asia and Europe step up defence cooperation amid growing doubts about the reliability of the US under Trump, who is increasingly seen as turning inward.

Washington, meanwhile, has been pressing its allies to raise defence spending, reduce dependence on the US, and shoulder greater security responsibilities. The Japanese deployment to Germany is part of “Operation Atlantic Eagles"—a mission that includes ASDF aircraft visiting bases in the US, Canada, and the UK.

Elizabeth Roche is an associate professor at O.P. Jindal Global University.