US Foreign Relations

• May 8, 2022

The United States is making the tackling soaring prices of food commodities the main focus of its presidency of the United Nations Security Council in May. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the country’s permanent representative to the UN, elaborated on the topic at a press conference to mark the start of the rotating presidency. “You may …

Security Council Presidency, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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In the Middle of an Emergency UN Session on Ukraine, Russia Declares War

Dawn Clancy

• February 24, 2022

As the 15 ambassadors in the United Nations Security Council hurried late Wednesday night into the chamber to meet for an emergency session on Ukraine — and most of them calling for a de-escalation of tensions — President Vladimir Putin, eight time zones away, declared war, authorizing a “special military operation” in the country. …

Peace and Security, Secretary-General, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Helga Schmid, the Persistent European Negotiator

Stephanie Liechtenstein

• January 10, 2022

VIENNA — The name Helga Schmid probably does not ring a bell beyond diplomatic circles in this very diplomatic city. Nor is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, which Schmid leads, a household name, either. But the German career diplomat is about to become better known this week. United States …

Peace and Security, US Foreign Relations, Women

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Weeks After a Cease-Fire Agreement, the Central African Republic Hangs By a Thread

Yujie Zhou

• December 9, 2021

The Central African Republic has long suffered from internal strife and human-rights abuses, but the situation now is perhaps the worst it has ever been and could grow more dire. The central government controls only a small portion of this landlocked country, which is just under the size of Texas. Much of the rest …

Africa, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Biden Nominates an Envoy for Global Women’s Issues, but How Soon Will the US Senate Act on It?

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 30, 2021

President Joe Biden has nominated Geeta Rao Gupta as the next ambassador at large for global women’s issues at the United States State Department. Gupta is a senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that promotes the UN. The ambassador post leads the Secretary’s Office of Global …

US Foreign Relations, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 12, 2021

PassBlue probes the global body granting licenses to mine the deep seas; UN staff detained in Ethiopia; global famine rises. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, Mexico’s president proposes a plan …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Middle East, Migration, Myanmar, Refugees, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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US Envoys Encouraged to Voice Dissent in New Diplomacy Policies

Barbara Crossette

• November 3, 2021

It is not news that morale in the American State Department hit new lows during the Trump administration, under a president who despised and insulted the institutions and people engaged in international affairs. On Oct. 27, however, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at the United States Foreign Service Institute to diplomats, members of …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

My Work on the Origins of Minurso, the UN Mission in Western Sahara

Joseph Alfred Grinblat

• October 27, 2021

It is now 30 years since the United Nations referendum mission for Western Sahara, known as Minurso, was created, and I was one of the original staff members. Starting in 1971, Sahrawi students in Morocco started a movement for the independence of Spanish Sahara. The Sahrawi are the Indigenous people of the western region …

Africa, Peace and Security, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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US Senators Want Human-Rights Work Added to UN’s Western Sahara Mission

Maurizio Guerrero

• October 21, 2021

As abuses against Sahrawi activists and journalists mount in Western Sahara, 10 United States Republican and Democratic senators are urging the Biden administration to include a human-rights element in the work of the United Nations referendum mission in the disputed region, according to an Oct. 14 letter obtained by PassBlue. As the file holder …

Africa, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

2 Comments

A US Lawyer Who Has Worked With Gitmo Detainees Details Her Journey Into a ‘Kafkaesque’ World

Clair MacDougall

• October 11, 2021

As a lawyer, Beth Jacob has represented both victims of the 9/11 attacks and the men imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay suspected of committing terrorism against the United States. A New Yorker now living in Washington, D.C., her Guantánamo clients have ranged from artists who make delicately crafted model ships, like Moath al-Alwi, and writers …

International Justice, Terrorism, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

As UNGA Winds Down, Mali Warns of Rising Dangers in the Sahel as France Claims a Recent Success

Barbara Crossette

• September 27, 2021

On the last day of global leaders’ speeches at the opening of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the array of countries on the roster ranged from Israel to Iceland, from Algeria to North Korea, from Canada to Guinea. Two long-scheduled countries to deliver messages — Afghanistan and Myanmar — were …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Covid-19, General Assembly, UNGA76, US Foreign Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

The Mess in Afghanistan Weakens Biden’s Push for Renewed US Leadership

Irwin Arieff

• September 9, 2021

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has weakened the Biden administration’s campaign to restore multilateralism as the touchstone of United States foreign policy, eroding international support for US global leadership. Incidentally, Biden also came out sounding at times a lot more like Donald Trump than a bold campaigner for international cooperation. Amid the botched evacuations as …

US Foreign Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

The UN Sticks to Afghanistan; Ireland Steers the Security Council; Preying on Mothers’ Fears

Anna Bianca Roach

• September 3, 2021

The UN’s priorities in Afghanistan for now; how certain multinational corporations feed on new-mothers’ fears amid Covid; Ireland’s envoy defends the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. …

Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Agencies, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Afghans Who Work for the UN in Their Country Say They Fear for Their Lives [Updated]

Fiona Shukri

• August 20, 2021

United Nations staff members in Afghanistan who work for the UN political mission there say it has been failing to protect its national personnel since the Taliban’s sudden takeover of the country on Aug. 15 and as the United States evacuates tens of thousands of Americans and others from the Kabul airport amid deadly …

Asia, Gender Violence, Humanitarian Aid, Secretary-General, UN Agencies, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

US Congress Takes Up Sweeping Changes on Global Health Policies, but Will They Materialize?

Barbara Crossette

• August 19, 2021

The Biden administration’s budget proposals for 2022 could erase many of the constrictions on global health aid imposed during the Trump years or earlier Republican administrations. But the sweeping developments depend on what happens in the Congressional debate on federal spending, beginning in September. Among the proposed changes: a doubling of contributions to the United …

UN Agencies, US Foreign Relations, Women

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A Blogger Exposed a UN Agency’s Wrongdoings. Its Boss Has Resigned

Susanne Courtney

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US Foreign Relations

US to Address Soaring Global Food Prices as Chair of the Security Council

In the Middle of an Emergency UN Session on Ukraine, Russia Declares War

Helga Schmid, the Persistent European Negotiator

Weeks After a Cease-Fire Agreement, the Central African Republic Hangs By a Thread

Biden Nominates an Envoy for Global Women’s Issues, but How Soon Will the US Senate Act on It?

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

US Envoys Encouraged to Voice Dissent in New Diplomacy Policies

My Work on the Origins of Minurso, the UN Mission in Western Sahara

US Senators Want Human-Rights Work Added to UN’s Western Sahara Mission

A US Lawyer Who Has Worked With Gitmo Detainees Details Her Journey Into a ‘Kafkaesque’ World

As UNGA Winds Down, Mali Warns of Rising Dangers in the Sahel as France Claims a Recent Success

The Mess in Afghanistan Weakens Biden’s Push for Renewed US Leadership

The UN Sticks to Afghanistan; Ireland Steers the Security Council; Preying on Mothers’ Fears

Afghans Who Work for the UN in Their Country Say They Fear for Their Lives [Updated]

US Congress Takes Up Sweeping Changes on Global Health Policies, but Will They Materialize?

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Russia’s Powerful Perch at the UN Is Crumbling

Russia Has Used Its UN Seat to Hide Atrocities Committed in the Central African Republic, Experts Say

To Stalin, Ukraine Was an Independent Country

Liechtenstein’s ‘Veto Initiative’ Wins Wide Approval at the UN. Will It Deter the Big Powers?

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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