UN Sharpens Focus on Middle East

We begin with reaction to the meeting of the UN General Assembly this week, where the dominant issue has been Palestinian statehood and its request for full membership in the United Nations. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority formally requested full UN membership on Friday before delivering his speech to the General Assembly. Earlier this week President Obama opposed the move in his address to the General Assembly, saying peace in the Middle East would not come through UN resolutions. Worldwide markets tumbled this week, with continued investor anxiety about a deepening global recession. The Federal Reserve didn't much help matters when it announced this week that a complete economic recovery is still years away. Also, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney sparred and dominated over their Republican colleagues at another GOP presidential candidates' debate. But has Perry faltered on delivering a clear policy message? Finally, we discuss the looming possibility of a government shutdown, as the Senate voted Friday to reject a short-term spending bill hastily approved by the House just hours earlier. This comes on the heels of the House rejecting a stop-gap spending bill earlier in the week, a surprise outcome which highlighted divisions between Tea Party representatives and other GOP lawmakers.

Banner image: Palestinians watch their President Mahmoud Abbas on TV as he delivers his speech at the United Nations during the General Assembly on September 23, 2011 in Ramallah, West Bank. Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images