real power issues resides in the security council and it requires a consensus among permanent members the power and persuasion a look at where it really lies of the united nations general assembly there may be more than two hundred world leaders at the table but if only a handful of countries can steal the show look exactly is the point. and will the events of this year's general assembly lead to calls for a change in the system or perhaps a change in location to do the trick well ask radio host alex jones what he would do to reform the u.s. . house to me and move at the united nations is not going to create a state not in reality not not even in fact in effect in theory

is this because the reality is lawmakers in washington have too much outside influence as politicians call for the present for president obama to stand by israel and powerful lobbies tighten their grip should policy means give up all hope of getting a sovereign state. it's tuesday september twentieth at four pm in washington d.c. and christine for example are watching our t.v. we're going to kick off our newscast this afternoon with coverage of the sixty sixth annual united nations general assembly. argy has several crews on the ground there monitoring the various aspects of this meeting but perhaps the issue with the heavy. global implications is palestinian

president mahmoud abbas has plans to formally request membership at the general assembly that move is expected this friday and has been strongly opposed by the u.s. and israel both claiming it would undermine chances to return to peace talks however the majority of the general assembly supports it so we thought we'd take a look at the breakdown of the united nations itself its structure its goals it's symbolic power and its actual power are the correspondent kareen important story. if global politics were a sport. the united nations would be the grand arena. and september would be opening season nearly two hundred of the world's most powerful and not so powerful players descend on new york city gathering in one room for a week's worth of speeches and a chance to grandstand on the international stage nearly ten thousand delegates in two thousand journalists are in town for the general assembly debate but in reality

five countries are the ones who really matters russia china france the us and britain the permanent security council members with veto power the real power in the united nations resides in the security council and it requires a consensus among the five permanent members and as long as the want one or one or more of the permanent members won't go along with something the un's ability to act is limited no resolutions can succeed if opposed by any of the big five case in point the current palestinian campaign for u.n. membership and speakers and initiative the u.s. publicly supported last year we come back here next year we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the united nations an independent sovereign state of palestine living in peace with israel but this year it's the opposite with washington saying it will veto the palestinian un membership here warning of additional collateral

damage one of the things that i that i hope the palestinian leadership is concerned considering is the day after what will happen when after whatever. show we have in the united nations is done. what will change in the real world for the palestinian people. the answer is nothing but sadly ironically the majority of the general assembly supports palestinian un membership the assembly along with two thirds majority can award nonmember observer status to the palestinians like the vatican injuries and doesn't need security council approval to do so so no one can veto this decision some believe however the un is the wrong forum for resolving major international disputes it's a very dysfunctional situation actually the un really isn't the one isn't really the venue even for this the un only gets the sort of hype aspects of these trades and and deals with them pretty badly to the israeli palestinian problem at the un

is mostly theater and this is just one one particularly for a freakish example of this global gathering attracts the security clouds and media madness of a sports championship but when it comes to practical outcomes scoring more than a symbolic victory could be unlikely even if there is a permanent member who are three who believe that. palestine should not be a member of the un. they want it on record but the vast majority of the people the world do believe that it's time yet you with your n.g.a. gathering all we have all my life. yet many wonder if this super bowl of diplomatic strategy leads to anything more than the event itself. r.t. me or i you know i think it's an interesting comparison a major sporting event in the larger arena new york city but here's the question who will be the winners and losers and for that matter who are the referee also

talk about this i want to go now to radio host alex jones in austin texas hey there alex let's kick off this discussion a little more broadly just want to get your take on the united nations general assembly meeting this is the sixty sixth year of this meeting what do you see as the reason for all these annual meetings. well at the end of world war two the main driver was the robber baron banking families in the united states in england and they got the vanquished european nations to sign on and russia signed on to a certain extent the soviet union and that's why i always since its founding the power has resided as you pointed out with the security council and the rest of it is mainly a debating society and the west has used the un as a place to basically get all the world leaders in one place so they can have the i.m.f. and world bank come in and attempt to buy them off or set them up or use different

sex operatives on them but more and more the un has become more than a debating club and it's become a place where opinions not popular with the ruling elite get voiced by the majority of other nations who see israel as an apartheid state regardless of which side of that debate you're on and so now more and more the un is being shown to be ceremonial and to be basically nothing but a arena for these fake baits so that's why the west mainly the u.s. and israel in england are now moving to try to even reduce the power of the u.n. more because more and more it's not going along with their different directive so that's basically my view on the united nations it was set up to help establish a private corporate local government through the big banks that are going into the other nations and try to take them over via subterfuge and economic hit man

operations. so now they're just moving to a pure global government run by finance oligarchy that we see swallowing europe they don't really even need the u.n. anymore for that they have economic warfare they are saying all of that this is nothing new at the corruption that we saw the fact that this is actually controlled by a very small group that you're saying this is nothing new but it was actually. set up that way and they were actually starting to see a little bit of change some as you call them fake debates i guess so what's your suggestion how would you turn this around i mean would you dismantle and build a new united nations would you maybe move it out of new york city which has got to be by the way some of the most expensive real estate in the world i mean what's the answer here well i believe in which washington thomas jefferson stood for not being and tangled with other countries not being involved in other people's wars but wanting to trade with people to be friends and i'm all for. if nations want to

contribute a small amount to a meeting place or several meeting places and call it something like the. free republics council or free sovereign nations council and then have true true discussions where where countries can't altogether vote away the rights of other day sions as the un has basically attempted to do through the security council dictatorship but instead have non-binding resolutions and agreements and that if separate nations want to form alliances or agreements that are more binding they can do that we do need a place to have the world talk but it doesn't need to be paid for by the robber barons david rockefeller british royalty and others as a way to put a valve that glove on the iron fist of colonialism they didn't look too good after world war two and so that's really what the un is and it's it's hopeful hopelessly corrupt i want it to go away and then nations could start basically talking to each

other on a nation to nation basis and when i say it's fake there are real debates and real countries there that are fighting with each other and having discussions but the you know the day doesn't matter because the security council plus holds all the cards but i got to say i mean lately so often i have been hearing people you know say as you've said you know talk about these ideals thomas jefferson and george washington about the united states sort of existing much more independently the fact is times are a lot different back then things have changed it's easy to say we don't like how far we've come and the direction with me from the fact is we have so i mean how do you still you know argue that with the fact that we are this is a globalized world and the countries do need to do more than just get together and talk. switzerland is the wealthiest country per capita in the world they their currency is rising in value not falling and they're completely neutral neutral is

the way to go but alice had currency is rising that could hurt things with someone is rising mostly because the wealthiest people in europe and the united states are spending all their money there are no value on it as i think you fast let me yes i should i mean i mean look i don't get the currency debates but it's mainly rising because the dollar's dying america is the bully engine the powerslave of mega offshore banks that's on record establishing a global corporate fascist government and the un is just one of their creations and if it gets out of control they'll just discredit it shut it down so show what i'm saying is i'm all globalism was set up to get everybody basically dependent on the banks toure's and this is not countries working together this is countries being basically enslaved and played off against each other and america is not an empire it is a republic and so i would like to get back to our bill of rights and constitution

and it is globalism of the new world order that has taken us from the most loved creditor nation with the highest standard of living to being now in many of the statistics dead last of a dutch realized country by a bunch of third world nations empire has not been good for america the us taking the british empire but time hundreds of years ago especially the last hundred and becoming this in pyar has not been good i don't want to pay for it and i don't want to dead million iraqis on my hands and on my name not in my name so these other countries that you say that have really been enslaved by the us a lot of them are the same countries that are sending leaders to show up at this annual meeting of the assembly why do you think it is that they're not speaking up and speaking out and demanding more power. the us has been in slate america has been hijacked would be clear america is in the same boat we're being bankrupted to pay for this we're being used to fund this global corporate government many of

these people from asia and the middle east and latin america and africa do speak out we just don't see them on our news unless it's our t. i do see some of it there and i commend you for that ok but but a lot of them are also in debt to the i.m.f. and world bank pick nigeria i've seen numbers in closing where they get a loan for one billion dollars in the sixty's they paid over fifty three billion dollars on a one billion dollar loan with loan sharking interest and they still owe thirty something billion they'll never pay it off it's a fraud and that money is not paid back to the american people it's paid back to the private mega banks of the parasites destroying the entire planet it's free humanity against the banking oligarchy it's all sort of them and the un is their bastard creation and alice i just want to talk about one other issue sort of related to what we're talking about and that is what's been unfolding in haiti over the last couple weeks many haitians calling for the draw down of u.n. peacekeepers there there have been protests you know that after that video

surfacing that nineteen year old haitian man being brutally raped by four united nations troops from europe away i want to know what you make of this situation and how the u.n. can possibly get in and sort of remake its reputation after what's been happening. well a fish rots from the head and how many times have you heard of a u.n. diplomats with drugs they're using a diplomatic pouch or having slaves or killing people and then getting away with it the middle former u.n. head was kurt waldheim who was an s.s. officer hunting people down and killing them in what serbia today and all sorts of war crimes against american soldiers and russian soldiers and so of course the u.n. constantly recruits the type of soldiers that want to rape and kill and in every country they go to every country they go to. nato as well there is the raping and killing any even seen you in operations where there are roasting people

over fires where the u.n. pulls out and lets one group kill the other group of course in rwanda that wasn't the u.n. standing down the u.n. was involved in that and so the u.n. was just in the ivory coast running a giant murder operation calling it peacekeeping the un's up to its eyeballs in the nato off handing al-qaeda the control of libya and giving them one of these seats there i mean it is a criminal organization rotten from the head to the tail it needs to be abolished and you know the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. is right i don't agree with their their spin but their right how to resolution israel's got four hundred eight hundred nukes they're not going anywhere this is all just an escalation in the middle east as a distraction from economic implosion now being engine neared over in the west as alex counted thirty going to be an interesting week and we do you appreciate you sharing your insight with thanks for having me. well conversation over the size and

strength and power of a future palestinian state is one you know we realize this has dominated the global stage for decades it is no doubt a conversation that most people turns out have a very strong opinion on regardless of what side they're coming from and those opinions often translate into influence which in turn can translate into action i want to take a look now at a major influence coming out of washington one that carolyn ford found out may have played a significant role in president obama's changing tune and pledge to stand by israel and veto palestinian statehood same floor same nations same debate we come back here next year we're going to have agreement that will lead to a new member of the united nations an independent sovereign state of palestine living in peace with israel but one year later a different american position the palestinian move at the united nations is not going to create a state not in reality. not even in fact in effect in theory because

the fundamental issues that divide the parties will remain to be resolved as palestinian leaders push to become a full member state at the united nations pro israel groups have been pushing to influence leaders in washington by congressman tim scott i would. and i have the greatest spiritual and political revival i've had more very long time thank you men's filed with the house ethics committee show that scott and his nephew took a twenty one thousand dollar trip to israel in august that wasn't alone in total eighty one congressman one pic of the entire house of representatives made a trip courtesy of the american israel education foundation a charitable arm of the american israel public affairs committee a powerful lobby a powerful opportunity for the israeli government to push its agenda has a distorted view of what's happening it israel and what's up with palestinians but i think that's it's a look or feel of course unfortunately it in the way that this sort of. foreign

policy runs. but very rational journey apac and other pro israel groups contribute the most of any lobby to federal candidates in the united states with eleven point seven million dollars in donations in two thousand and ten alone it is the responsibility of every true israel activists to increase the number of individuals making their own direct financial contributions to the campaigns of pro israel members and candidates for congress a pac is increasingly joined by pro israel evangelical christian groups when you take a combined forces of this lobbying effort of apac and the christian scientists organizations it's quite substantial influential conservative pundit glenn beck brought hundreds of christians to israel for his rally in israel there is more courage in one soldier then in the combined and. every bureaucrat at the

united nations the u.s. house of representatives voted four hundred seven to six to cut all aid to the palestinian authority should it seek statehood a position supported by chairwoman ileana rustler and it was traveled or sent her staff to israel says. six times with lobbyist dollars the palestinian scheme is not the right way to get peace with the with israel how will recognition of a palestinian state bring israel and the palestinians closer to peace but critics say blocking palestinian statehood is not a position that makes sense for the united states it's not going to help our position of the arab world we are based in support of israel in such a way that it would actually destructive jewish destroy but certainly the u.s. it's largely just a security interests with elections just around the corner the ability of lobbying groups to shape u.s. foreign policy remains formidable kalen forward r.t. washington d.c.

well i think it's also important when discussing president obama's position on the middle east to bring about a speech he gave back in may of this year we're going back it was shortly after the height of the arab spring just weeks after the killing of osama bin laden and in the midst of the u.s. involvement in the war in libya but this speech was also a day before president obama was scheduled to meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu we believe the borders of israel and palestine should be based on the nine hundred sixty seven lines with mutually agreed swaps so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. comments are sharp criticism from u.s. lawmakers pro israel supporters and the prime minister of israel himself and human netanyahu responding immediately by saying if israel did return to its pretty nine hundred sixty seven borders it would be left quote indefensible a lot fast forward to today and the u.s. and israel seem to be on the same page with president obama at least at this point

abandoning the notion that this would be the year that there will in fact be a new member of the united nations an independent sovereign state of palestine now in report kalen pointed out a little bit of what's behind those changes but i want to talk about this more and to talk about this part of the story let's bring in the editor of counterpunch alexander coburn who is in petroleum gornja. hey there alexander let's start with something the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. susan rice said she said that the move by president abbas is quote not going to create a state not in reality and not even in theory she said the fundamental issues that divide the parties will remain i guess i just want to get your take on this and what you think is really at issue here. is really. the fact that for twenty long years the united states has been supportive of israel and the palestinians have gotten nowhere and it's very comical and disgusting to

hear the united states please know now we can really do it. obviously no one believes a word of this what the palestinians like get out of this maneuver is open to discussion but something is better than nothing they had absolutely nothing the credibility of israel in the world at large is zero and with it the credibility of the united states is near zero as well so why do you think that president obama has said these things he certainly come out a little stronger at least in his language with several different mentions of the desire for a palestinian state with a desire of nectarine one hundred fifty seven borders why do you think if as you say nothing's going to change because it hasn't changed in twenty years why even bring it up the point i guess he was trying to hold the credibility that he thought he won with the cairo speech that the u.s. could be an honest broker but after whatever it is three years of obama it's clear that he's not an honest broker i mean the. whole thing is clearly of course everybody knows it and it's also become clearly

a political issue in the united states so i guess it's no surprise that the republican presidential candidates are coming out and slamming president obama on his previous positions this morning as the governor rick perry talked about what he called president obama's middle east policy of appeasement and i want to play a little bit about what he had to say and i get your reaction we would not be here today at this very precipice of such a dangerous move. if you obama policy in the middle east wasn't naive and arrogant misguided and dangerous i think this is a good opportunity alexander for us to talk about the different notions that own people and namely u.s. politicians have you know calling obama's policy naive arrogant misguided in dangerous that seems to be what a lot of people outside of this country think about president obama's policy when

he stands by israel so i guess talk a little bit about that that difference for someone when you look at someone like governor perry you know whose experience in international affairs is near zero and obviously his advisors say we need to jewish money we need the jewish button florida we need the jewish vote in california we need that and if we can detach some of the like look at the recent congressional election in new york where they're down to a lot of seats are going to know about the democrats since nineteen twenty three and they say the reason is that the jews are trying to tell you that you know he's going to get with the program otherwise they'll recognize republicans when when rick perry says that i mean my eyes will hold out a huge begging bowl and say put your jewish money in here for a little it's. i know that the israelis have in many cases threatened to retaliate if president abbas goes forward with this bid which he has said he will on the other side it's been interesting to sort of they're going to retaliate looking to

put roadblocks outside the west bank they're going to make it difficult to get into gaza what are they got left to do i think that that's a good point but you know on the other side saudi arabia has pledged to and its special relationship with washington if the u.s. goes forward with its veto so talk a little bit about kind of what's at stake here and you know the different countries that the u.s. is friends with and their different reactions and that will come down as a result of this bit. well i think for saudi arabia to say they'll grow across the special relationship the united states says is country taking so i mean saudi arabia is the fifty second state many ways some so them to make a statement like that is clearly absurd that they're trying to maintain a little bit of credibility because they are under pressure from the initiatives of country like turkey they're under pressure from the possible positions that might evolve in egypt and so they're near clearly trying to maintain a little detachment and they may personally feel outraged by the conduct and

behavior of the united states towards palestine but to talk about a break between saudi arabia and the us is completely absurd so let's talk about kind of this other aspect of the report we just you know we saw one back in israel a few weeks ago and we are starting to see a lot of christian evangelicals fighting for israel some have said that you know wanted us lobby apac has the money but it's the christians the evangelicals who often produce the votes so i guess i want to get your take on this role in the evangelical christian community is this new and what's behind it. well it's not exactly new because because the christian position has always been you know here logically that personal becomes a jewish state and then in the summit end of the game israel becomes a christian you know part of the christian world and so it's not new but obviously the militancy of the evangelicals pro israel has been

a big development in the last twenty years and clearly it's become a very important part of republican politics what it has in terms of actual real you get into moments when u.s. elections clearly it has a role to play in that in the south but do i think that the fundamentalist christians in that same north carolina it's going to be decisive the israel it matter i don't really think so what about them oh go ahead sorry no good i was going to say what about this notion a lot of people who are you know coming out against. you know my going to boss president abbas's say that the only reason that palestine wants to be recognized they already know that you know two thirds of the general assembly supports them that the reason that they want to be a part of this is because they want to be able to use for example the international criminal court and use that to sort of throw back and create more fights on the world stage against leaders in israel previous and current. is that argument have

any legitimacy that doing this could be a first step to getting in the way to putting it on another roadblock to any sort of future peace talks. well i mean i think that what the palestinians say there is quite true the more that they can you know which was a long ago they did much more of this in the old days when everyone was talking about the u.n. plan before they went into bilateralism with the u.s. but complete disaster of course i think when they say yes we could be you know have something to do with the i.c.c. and we could use these various institutions but it's absolutely true and my main feeling is they've got no absolutely no option there's no other option for them nobody believes for a minute that the day after tomorrow they said ok we give up now now that the u.s. is back being an independent programming nobody believes it so they've got nowhere to go except the right they're taking that's what i think it is and the u.s. knows that and that it is exposing the u.s. position and there is a certain desperation in the u.s.

diplomacy i'm glad that russia has taken the position that it is always an interesting discussion alexander cockburn editor of counterpunch joining us from the trolley of california and stay with us for our five pm newscast we're going to talk about the schedule educate execution tomorrow i was giving our seven pm broadcast are we're going to talk about the scheduled execution of troy davis he has been accused of shooting and killing us of a police officer twenty years ago new evidence has come out that says perhaps those jurors on the jury back then were forced by police to tell a story that wasn't exactly true that executions skillz scheduled for tomorrow and we're going to have a discussion about it but that's going to do it for now so for more on the stories we covered but our team got com flash usa or to get our you tube page you to that last r.t. america you can also follow me on twitter i'm at the i want to thank you so much for watching we will be back here at five o'clock.