Dismay and frustration as world leaders gather

Democratic uprisings across the Arab world and the Palestinians’ bid for UN membership sparked hope and excitement at last year’s meeting of world leaders.

Dismay and frustration as world leaders gather

But with war raging in Syria, the Palestinian application sidelined, and deadly protests generated by an anti-Islamic video, the mood as this year’s UN gathering begins is one of both disappointment and frustration.

More than 120 presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs meeting this week under heavy security at the UN General Assembly and in sideline events will also be preoccupied by rising tension over Iran’s nuclear programme as well as the possibility of an Israeli strike against Tehran’s nuclear facilities, al Qaeda’s inroads in the Sahel region of west Africa, especially in Mali, and the first decline in years in international aid to help developing countries combat poverty.

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