海角大神

Each September, leaders from nations big and small are allotted 15 minutes to address the world from the United Nations鈥檚 green marble podium. It鈥檚 a chance to air complaints, highlight pressing national or global issues, and score diplomatic points. For some leaders, the UN General Assembly is an聽opportunity to make their name 鈥� or burnish a reputation.聽

Former Venezuelan President Hugo Ch谩vez was known for聽memorable quotes like to President George W. Bush as 鈥渢he devil,鈥� and his failed bid for a seat on the Security Council. Back in聽1960, Fidel Castro addressed the UNGA, where he started off his speech promising brevity. The Cuban president then continued talking for nearly two hours and railed against US foreign policy, deriding President Kennedy as an "illiterate and ignorant" millionaire.聽

Though speakers from Latin America this year have been decidedly less controversial than Ch谩vez, they had plenty to say. Here鈥檚 a small sampling:

Brazil

Each year, Brazil is the first country to address the UNGA after the secretary general. The United States, as the meeting鈥檚 host, follows Brazil. According to The Guardian, 鈥� participant at the UN鈥檚 founding in 1947 鈥� that it managed to nail down first-speaking privileges in perpetuity.鈥�

This year, President Dilma Rousseff preempted President Obama鈥檚 call for global action against terrorist threats like the Islamic State. Ms. Rousseff, who is standing for reelection next month, criticized attempts to solve conflicts by military means.聽

鈥淓补肠丑 , but instead those conflicts intensify. We witness a tragic proliferation in the numbers of civilian victims and humanitarian catastrophes,鈥� Rousseff said. 鈥淭he use of force cannot eliminate the deep-rooted causes of the conflicts,鈥� she said, citing examples of ongoing violence in Syria, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Libya, Iraq, and Ukraine.

With an eye on Brazil's election, a large portion of her speech focused on domestic affairs, such as defending Brazil鈥檚 economic policies, its record on combating corruption, and its success in poverty alleviation.

Argentina

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner also had a domestic agenda. At the podium, she聽 a resolution to begin negotiations for a global bankruptcy process, which could help halt predatory actions by hedge funds. This summer, Argentina was forced into a "technical default"聽after a US court ruled that it had to pay聽a small group of holdout creditors that didn't accept聽the terms of an Argentine bond restructuring.聽

In her speech yesterday, Ms. Kirchner referred to so-called vulture funds as 鈥渆conomic terrorists that create poverty, hunger, and misery through the sin of speculation.鈥澛燬he also blamed the US justice system and its 鈥渃omplacency鈥� in ruling in favor of holdout creditors.聽

Kirchner spoke to more traditional terrorism as well, calling IS 鈥渄eplorable and inhumane,鈥� (and remarking on the groups 鈥渜uirky name.鈥�) But she also criticized the use of force against IS.聽鈥淚f the UN General Assembly is actually allowed to serve its mandate, despite the lack of observance by some nations, I am sure that we could actually have international law and order built on dialogue and peace instead of military intervention.鈥�

Despite touching on salient topics, some listeners found Kirchner's train of thought hard to follow:

Mexico

President Enrique Pe帽a Nieto made his first聽聽on Wednesday, announcing that Mexico will begin participating in UN peacekeeping missions for the first time in more than two decades. It鈥檚 a reversal of a long-standing stance 鈥� noted in Mexico鈥檚 Constitution 鈥� of not intervening in outside conflicts.

Mr. Pe帽a Nieto said, 鈥淢exico has the necessary experience in humanitarian assistance to serve the UN without neglecting its domestic duties.鈥�

惭别虫颈肠辞鈥檚听聽took place in El Salvador from 1992-93, according to Reuters.

Pe帽a Nieto also called for reform to the UN Security Council, including adding more seats and limiting the veto power of permanent members, of which the US is one of five.聽

Venezuela

President Nicol谩s Maduro addressed a near-empty auditorium last night, where he called that better reflects a 鈥渕ulti-polar" world.

鈥淚f this whole system of UN had at least a little human nature about it, then we would all concentrate on tackling the real threat, instead of sending drones and missiles to destroy cities in Gaza, Iraq, and Syria,鈥� Mr. Maduro said.

He criticized the US, saying it has 鈥渢ried again and again to undermine democracy.鈥澛燤aduro quoted his predecessor, former President Hugo Ch谩vez, but didn't resort to Ch谩vez-style personal attacks. He also聽praised Syria鈥檚 President Bashar al-Assad for fighting IS, and pledged his support for African countries battling Ebola.

Ecuador

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa was a no show this year, apparently upset that his previous speeches to the UNGA went unheralded.聽

鈥淚t seems like only the first speeches are given importance,鈥� Foreign Minister Ricardo Pati帽o told Democracy Now. 鈥淸Correa] was quite frankly, just frustrated, and he鈥檚 not really interested in participating in an event where nobody really seems to be interested in聽."听

Mr. Pati帽o went on to condemn alleged US spying on other countries, calling it 鈥渁 violation of international law.鈥� In 2013, Ecuador offered asylum to Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is currently living in its embassy in London.聽

鈥淭he UN should take that up鈥�. [But] it鈥檚 not on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. And that鈥檚 unfortunate,鈥� Pati帽o said.

Honduras

President Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez addressed the topic of children migrating from Central America toward the US. He acknowledged that violence in Honduras and other Central American countries contributed to the exodus of its citizens. But Mr. Hern谩ndez also blamed nations that produce and consume drugs for the violence.

"Our territory is one of the principal battlegrounds in a war that is not our own. It's a war we didn't initiate," he said, noting that there must be "shared responsibility" for taking on drug cartels and related violence.聽

Hern谩ndez called for the creation of a multinational force, "capable of successfully confronting this transnational phenomenon."