Every September, as the United Nations General Assembly session nears in New York, a familiar scene begins to unfold. Leaders of third-world nations pack their best sherwanis, waistcoats, and designer suits, ready to showcase what they call “historic meetings” with the President of the United States. Yet, when the camera flashes fade, the “meeting” is often nothing more than a quick handshake in a hotel lobby or a passing nod in a busy UN corridor.
The Reality of Protocol
In diplomatic tradition, a genuine meeting between the President of the United States and a foreign leader typically takes place on U.S. soil: in the Oval Office, the Roosevelt Room, or at the very least, during an official luncheon or state dinner. Anything less is merely a polite encounter, not an official engagement of heads of state. One only needs to recall the formal luncheon between Pakistan’s Army Chief and President Donald J. Trump, which followed strict protocol, was hosted on U.S. soil, and demonstrated the seriousness of bilateral talks.
Compare this to the tricks that happen at the UNGA. Leaders quickly tell their press teams to take quick photos of a handshake at the hotel hallway or when bumping into the President at the UN’s marble lobby, then post it as a “strategic bilateral summit.” The truth? The U.S. President was heading to the elevator.
Theatrics for Domestic Audience
Why, then, do these leaders engage in such theatrics? The answer lies not in Washington but in their own capitals. A fragile government in Islamabad, Dhaka, or elsewhere will portray a “chance handshake” as proof of international legitimacy. A poorly timed photo becomes a weapon for domestic politics: See, our leader is in Washington’s good graces.
The irony is that these same leaders, who boast of “friendship with America” after rubbing shoulders in a hotel hallway, would never be seen at the White House gates if the doors were truly shut. The world sees through the act, but their domestic audiences—hungry for validation—buy it entirely.
Ahead of the UNGA: The Parade of Pretenders
As this year’s UNGA session approaches, expect another parade of carefully staged “encounters.” Leaders will chase the U.S. President across hotel lobbies, hoping for a three-second grip-and-grin to spin as diplomacy back home. TV anchors will dutifully declare that their leader “met” the U.S. President, even though the setting is more like a wedding reception than the Oval Office.
A Call for Genuine Leadership
True leadership doesn’t rely on gimmicks. It depends on substance: signed agreements, observed protocols, and implemented policies. The White House is in Washington, D.C., not at the Marriott lobby in Midtown Manhattan. The sooner third-world leaders realize that legitimacy is earned, not staged, the sooner their countries can move past photo-op politics and into genuine diplomacy.
Until then, we can only expect more “historic meetings” held by the elevator button at the UN headquarters—parody worthy of a Shakespearean comedy, though with far more tragic consequences for the people these leaders claim to represent.
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