Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Barack Obama at the UN: New Approaches or More of the Same?

    President Obama has made his first address to the UN General Assembly, with more than 120 world leaders on hand. We hear some of the highlights.  On Reporter's Notebook, will US forces in Afghanistan be increased or scaled back?

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Sep 23, 2009 • 50m Listen

    President Barack Obama has made his first address to the UN General Assembly, with more than 120 world leaders on hand. We hear some of the highlights. On Reporter's Notebook, Vice President Biden reportedly wants to scale back US forces in Afghanistan. Is basic strategy under review?

    Banner image: Barack Obama shakes hands with (L-R) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the 64th session of the General Assembly, and Muhammad Shaaban, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management after Obama's speech to the 64th General Assembly at the United Nations. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

    In this episode

    2 stories
    1. 0:00

      Obama Formally Addresses the 64th UN General Assembly

      In New York today the United Nations opened another session , and more than 120 national leaders heard President Obama's first address to the General Assembly. Obama told the UN that "misperceptions" have led to "an almost reflexive anti-Americanism," which he said, "too often has served as an excuse for…collective inaction."

      Read the story
      42 min
    2. 42:19

      White House Considers Shift in Afghan War Strategy

      The UN has a presence in Afghanistan, but the war there is being conducted by the US and NATO. President Karzai didn't join other heads of state in New York, and questions about his re-election have divided UN officials.

      Read the story
      8 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

      NewsNationalPolitics

    In this episode

    2 stories
    1. 0:0042 min

      Obama Formally Addresses the 64th UN General Assembly

    2. 42:198 min

      White House Considers Shift in Afghan War Strategy

    Back to To the Point