All the world’s a stage, but some players have more prominent roles than others. As the United Nations General Assembly gets under way in New York this week that stage will be crowded with the world’s supporting actors, presided over by Ali Treki, a senior Libyan diplomat.

The star turns arrive next week. President Barack Obama will dominate, the first US president to chair a UN Security Council session. It is refreshing that Mr Obama sees the UN as a vehicle for realising US interests rather than as a tedious and ineffective obstacle to American power.