Associated Press
There are two opposing theses about the U.N. General Assembly: It's a place that shows the true power of words, where leaders inspire action with rousing speeches on the urgent issues of our times; or it's a talking shop, where leaders perform for domestic audiences with political rhetoric on the cause of the day. After three years of virtual, then hybrid General Debates, the scores of top leaders who attended the annual U.N. summit this week exhibited the return of in-person diplomacy, and provided ammunition to those who advocate for its importance. It wasn't just drama, like whether Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy would be addressing the Security Council in the presence of Russia’s top diplomat (the two ultimately did not cross paths).