• April 23, 2012

The appointment last week of Richard A. Grenell to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign staff as national security and foreign policy spokesman has already caused a stir in political and journalism arenas, suggesting that Romney’s foreign policy will be hawkish with Grenell on board. Grenell, who is 45, joins the Romney camp with a solid …

GOINGS-ON

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GOINGS-ON

Three World Bank Nominees, Including an American

Dulcie Leimbach

• March 24, 2012

With only hours to spare before the deadline on Friday for nominating the next president of the World Bank, President Obama announced a surprise choice: Jim Yong Kim, the 52-year-old president of Dartmouth College and a global expert on HIV-AIDS. The World Bank is part of the United Nations system and its members have until …

GOINGS-ON

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GOINGS-ON

Ban’s Latest High-Level Appointments

Dulcie Leimbach

• March 12, 2012

Three new UN under secretaries-general have been chosen by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his reshuffling of top posts for his second five-year term: Maged Abdelaziz, Egypt’s UN ambassador since 2005, as special adviser on Africa; Angela Kane of Germany as high representative for disarmament affairs; and Sven Alkalaj, a former foreign minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, …

GOINGS-ON

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UN WOMEN'S CONFERENCE 2012

Land Rights for Women Transform an Indian Village

Dulcie Leimbach

• March 4, 2012

In India, a title to land can literally be a passport to security. Everything from bank credit to legal proof of caste, income, residence, eligibility for government housing, admission to schools and colleges – and even bail for a jailed relative or friend – depends on holding land titles. In this report from the …

Asia, Development, Women

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Verdict on Congolese Rebel About to Be Made

Dulcie Leimbach

• February 29, 2012

The International Criminal Court is ready to announce its first-ever verdict, in the trial of Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord accused of committing war crimes for recruiting child soldiers under age 15. The verdict will be read on March 14 at the court’s headquarters in The Hague, where the judicial body began operating in …

Africa, Child Soldiers, ICC

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GOINGS-ON

Proposed US Foreign Aid Shows Slight Increase

Dulcie Leimbach

• February 24, 2012

In his recently released 2013 budget proposal, President Obama has increased funds for foreign aid to the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, but the 1.2 percent rise over 2012 figures is still less than 1 percent of the entire federal budget. The total amount proposed for foreign aid is …

GOINGS-ON, Humanitarian Aid, US-UN Relations

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General Assembly Condemns Syria in a Strong Vote

Dulcie Leimbach

• February 16, 2012

The General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a resolution condemning the relentless “widespread and systematic” human-rights violations committed by Syrian officials and demanded that the government stop all violence and protect its people. The resolution, though not enforceable, also called on Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to cede office to a vice president and begin negotiations to …

General Assembly, Middle East, Peace and Security

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Invoking Pontius Pilate After the Vote

Dulcie Leimbach

• February 7, 2012

Of the many eloquent, impassioned speeches voiced by ambassadors in the Security Council right after Russia and China’s veto of the resolution aimed at ending the violence in Syria, Pakistan’s stood out for its professorial panache. Abdullah Hussain Haroon, the ambassador of the UN from Pakistan, invoked Pontius Pilate’s washing of his hands over …

Security Council

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GOINGS-ON

Changes at the UN’s Upper Levels

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 27, 2012

The United Nations World Food Program has named Ertharin Cousin of the United States to replace Josette Sheeran, also American, when Sheeran’s five-year term as executive director ends in April. And Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, based in Geneva, has been nominated for a second five-year term by the …

GOINGS-ON

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GOINGS-ON

A Slovakian in the Economic and Social Council Presidency

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 22, 2012

Milos Koterec, permanent representative of Slovakia to the United Nations, was elected president of the Economic and Social Council earlier this month in its first organizational meeting this year. Koterec, 39, succeeds Lazarous Kampambwe of Zambia, after serving as the senior vice president of the council last year. The council is the main forum …

GOINGS-ON

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GOINGS-ON

R2P Monitor, a New Digest, Details Populations in Danger

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 21, 2012

The Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect has released its first issue of a bimonthly digest, the R2P Monitor, reporting on populations in countries that could be at risk to mass-atrocity crimes. The mission of the center, part of the CUNY’s Ralphe Bunche Institute for International Studies, is to enable the responsibility to …

GOINGS-ON

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GOINGS-ON

Where Will the News Be in 2012?

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 18, 2012

Even before unforeseen events like natural disasters or outbreaks of new conflicts occur this year, as they always do, 2012 will be full of important political news, with elections not only in the United States but also around the world, some in countries that are crucial to the stability of their regions. The International …

Africa, Middle East

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GOINGS-ON

Getting to Know the Persian Gulf

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 18, 2012

American officials now rank Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz as dangerous to American interests — or even more so in the short term — than Iran’s nuclear program. Where is this place, and why has it risen to the top of Washington’s concerns? Answers to such questions can be found in …

GOINGS-ON, Middle East

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GOINGS-ON

The International Court’s New Prosecutor

Dulcie Leimbach

• December 13, 2011

Fatou Bensouda has been named the new prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, nominated by consensus by the Assembly of States Parties, which manages the court. She begins her nine-year term on June 16, 2012. Bensouda replaces Luis Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentine who seeks the spotlight and has served as the court’s first and only …

Africa, GOINGS-ON, ICC

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Human Rights Chief Calls for More Action in Syria

Dulcie Leimbach

• December 5, 2011

As violence continues unabated in Syria despite tough economic and travel sanctions from such big players as the Arab League, the European Union, Turkey and the United States, the head of the UN’s high commissioner for human rights has spoken out by calling for international intervention to protect civilians against government attacks. Navi Pillay, …