Without American leadership at the U.N., countries just continue

Hear now the words spoken by Richard Grenell: “Without American leadership at the U.N., countries just continue to talk and socialize and spend taxpayer dollars.” This saying is born not of casual speech but of observation sharpened by years of dwelling among the halls of diplomacy. Grenell, a man who once bore the weight of America’s voice before the nations, sought to warn of the vanity of gatherings when purpose is absent, and of the danger of councils where words outweigh deeds. His lament echoes like that of prophets of old, for he beheld that without leadership, the chorus of nations dissolves into idle chatter, and the wealth of the people is wasted on feasts and empty rituals.

In these words lies a deeper truth, one older than the United Nations itself. From the days of ancient assemblies in Athens, from the councils of Rome, from the gatherings of tribes under oaks and sacred stones, men and women have known that without a guiding hand, such assemblies lose their vigor. The presence of leadership transforms a multitude into a force; without it, even wise voices scatter like dust in the wind. Grenell’s cry is not against gathering itself, but against the absence of direction. For a body that only talks and socializes is not a temple of justice but a banquet hall, gilded yet hollow.

Consider the tale of the League of Nations, born from the ashes of the Great War. Its purpose was noble, its chambers filled with well-meaning men. Yet without the active hand of America, without the firmness of a guiding power, its voice faltered. When tyrants rose in Europe and Asia, the League issued declarations, but no armies marched, no shield was raised. They spoke much, but they acted little. And thus the world was hurled once more into fire and ruin. This is the story Grenell’s words recall, a memory carved into the stone of human failure: talk without leadership leads only to waste.

His words also strike at a wound within democracies: the careless use of taxpayer dollars. For what greater insult to the labor of the people than to see their sweat transmuted into idle luxuries, their sacrifice funding endless speeches that bear no fruit? Every dollar is the fruit of toil, the bread from a worker’s table, the harvest of a farmer’s field. To squander it on vanity is to rob the common folk of the fruits of their hands. Grenell speaks in defense not of princes, but of the people whose money fuels these mighty halls.

Yet let us not mistake his cry as cynicism. It is a call to responsibility, to recognize that the might of America carries both burden and gift. For in a world where powers contend, when the strong withdraw, the weak are left unguarded, and the wicked move unopposed. Leadership is not domination, but service; it is the flame that lights the council and guides it to action. Without such a flame, the gathering grows cold and the night swallows its purpose.

So what, O reader, is the lesson you must carry? It is this: in every place of gathering—whether in nations, in communities, or in families—mere talk is never enough. Words must be joined with will, and will must be anchored in vision. If you sit in council, be not content with chatter; seek the path of action, lest you too be swallowed in futility. If you labor with others, let someone bear the mantle of leadership, and if none rises, then consider that perhaps you are called to rise.

In your own life, do not let your resources—your time, your energy, your talents—be spent in idle pursuits that bring no harvest. Guard them as sacred, for they are your “taxpayer dollars.” Invest them where fruit can grow: in service, in creation, in love, in justice. Where gatherings are empty, kindle them with purpose. Where voices scatter, anchor them with direction.

Thus, take Grenell’s words as both a warning and a summons. Without leadership, nations and souls alike drift in circles, consuming much and achieving little. But with leadership—rooted in purpose and sacrifice—the gatherings of men can change the fate of the earth. Therefore, let your life not be idle talk, but a flame that guides, a light that endures, and a leadership that turns words into destiny.