WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday used his final U.N. General Assembly address as the American commander in chief to defend the chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan he ordered and to urge world leaders to resist the forces of isolationism.Just over two months after ending his bid for a second term, Biden appeared to allude to former President Donald Trump and other world figures who echo the Republican presidential nominee’s skepticism of international entities and cooperation among countries. But he also spoke of a Middle East that does not reflect the realities of conflict in Gaza, northern Israel and Lebanon.“There will always be forces [that try] to pull our countries apart and the world apart through aggression, extremism, chaos and cynicism,” Biden said from the well of the General Assembly hall at U.N. headquarters in New York. He warned of figures that operate from a “desire to retreat from the world and go it alone.”“Our task, our test, is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart, that the principles of partnership that we came here each year to uphold can withstand the challenges, that the center holds once again, my fellow leaders,” Biden added. “I truly believe we’re at another inflection point in world history but the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come.”The “inflection point” he warned about has been a central theme of his presidency, which began with several speeches casting the historical period as a tug-of-war between democratic governments and authoritarian forces. Biden cast his decision in late July to drop out of the presidential race as part of that same push.“One thing must not change. We must never forget who we’re here to represent, ‘we the people.’ These are the first words of our Constitution, the very idea of America. They inspired the opening words of the U.N. Charter. I made the preservation of democracy a central cause of my presidency,” Biden said. “This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president. It was a difficult decision.“I decided, after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward,” Biden said. “My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people.”The American election hung over the speech,
