US Foreign Relations

UN-Watchers Expect the Worst From Trump at General Assembly Next Week

September 16, 2020

The General Assembly is surely going to be a very interesting place this month — even if world leaders are staying home for the annual opening debate because of the pandemic. On Monday, Sept. 21, the General Assembly is hosting a special session to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. For this …

General Assembly, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Trump’s Mysterious Relationship With Putin

September 14, 2020

by Stephen Schlesinger

After President Trump’s nearly four years in office, we still do not have a good answer as to why the president has repeatedly deferred to Vladimir Putin on major issues. This is a central question that we face as a country, especially its consequences for American policies on Ukrainian sanctions, on the issue of …

US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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THIS WEEK @UN

India’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels, Casting Light on UN Counterterrorism Ops, US Asylum Seekers Stuck in Mexico

August 29, 2020

by Allison Lecce

US asylum seekers pushed back into Mexico in unprecedented numbers amid Covid-19; an investigation into the mysterious work of the richly financed UN counterterrorism operations; chastising India for its support of fossil fuels; and a UN envoy’s assessment of the new United Arab Emirates-Israeli pact. Greetings from This Week @UN, our summary highlighting the most …

Climate and Environment, Middle East, Refugees, Terrorism, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

In Mexico, the UN Refugee Agency Alleviates a Crisis Created by the Trump Administration

August 26, 2020

by Maurizio Guerrero

“Yes, there’s always the fear of being kidnapped,” said Óscar, a 30-year old asylum seeker who fled political persecution in Cuba in May 2019 and landed in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, where violent crime and gang activity are common. Óscar, who used a pseudonym to protect his privacy, knew of asylum …

Covid-19, Human Rights, Refugees, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

Nikki Haley Didn’t Get on Trump’s Re-Election Ticket, but 2024 Is Around the Bend

August 25, 2020

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

If pundits were to be believed earlier in August, there was a chance for a historic vice-presidential debate in 2020: two women of color facing off for the second-highest position in the United States. The speculation was that Nikki Haley, a former US envoy to the United Nations and a South Carolina governor, would …

Covid-19, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Mali’s Coup, Belarus’s Protests, Pompeo’s Brief Appearance at the UN

August 22, 2020

by Allison Lecce

A military coup in Mali; massive protests in Belarus over the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko; more than a million people displaced in Burkina Faso; and the United States takes its next step to extend the Iran arms embargo through the United Nations Security Council, as most of its members still push back. Greetings from This …

Africa, Middle East, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

All Fuss and No Substance on the Middle East ‘Breakthrough’

August 18, 2020

by Irwin Arieff

Talking heads are showering Donald Trump with praise over his surprise unveiling of an agreement that he said would alter the Middle East landscape by building a diplomatic bridge between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. If completed as advertised, the deal would indeed, as Trump tweeted, be a “huge breakthrough,” as it would …

Middle East, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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The US Envoy for Iran Leaves Just as the US Pushes for a UN Vote on Its Weapons Ban

August 6, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Only days before the United States said it would submit a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council to extend an Iran arms embargo, the American envoy for Iran has resigned. Brian Hook, who also held the post as senior policy adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, was described by his boss as …

Disarmament, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Missing the Love at the Canada-US Border Crossings

July 23, 2020

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

BUFFALO, N.Y. — In the middle of a recent Zoom meeting with colleagues, I commented about the presence of United Nations flags on international borders, like the ones that flew, some until recently, on certain bridge border crossings between Ontario, Canada, and New York State in the United States, over Lake Erie and the …

Covid-19, US Foreign Relations

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Pompeo’s New Agenda Targets the UN Rights Declaration

July 20, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

In an extraordinary report that defies reality, the Trump administration is extolling United States’ global leadership in human rights and accusing its critics of threatening democracy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who created the US Commission on Unalienable Rights last year and ordered the report, introduced it on July 16 in Philadelphia, where the …

Human Rights, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Does the New US Envoy for Women’s Rights Have Anything to Do?

July 13, 2020

by Fiona Shukri

Six months into her job as the United States ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, Kelley Currie has done little to demonstrate that she can restore American leadership on women’s rights while reporting to an ideologically driven administration known for its regressive stance on gender equality. While the ambassador’s office is charged with promoting women’s …

Covid-19, Gender-Based Violence, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Coronavirus Soars, Trump Golfs, Pence Falls: Who the Hell Is in Charge of the US?

June 30, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Deep uncertainty and unease are descending across the United States just as Americans are preparing to celebrate their most important “political” holiday, Independence Day, on July 4. Contrary to what Trump administration officials are proclaiming, the US is not containing the Covid-19 pandemic infection rate, which has suddenly surpassed its April high point, marking …

Covid-19, Human Rights, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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BOOKS

Trump Is So Scary He Makes Even Bolton Look Good

June 29, 2020

by Irwin Arieff

I never thought I would ever feel sorry for Nikki Haley. But John Bolton, in his infamous new book, “The Room Where It Happened,” is so unrelenting in his snide comments about Haley, President Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations, that you have to draw back and think, Wait a minute, why is …

BOOKS, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

Biden’s Toughest Task: Linking Foreign Policy to a Changed America

June 10, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

With Joseph Biden taking an unassailable lead by June 7 as the Democratic Party’s choice for president of the United States, many Americans foresee a desperate, ugly political campaign for re-election by Donald Trump coming. The magnitude of his damage to America’s role in the world will be an issue for Democrats, along with …

Covid-19, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Is the US Ready for a Feminist Foreign Policy? Absolutely, Advocates Say

May 26, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

The world of diplomacy has toyed with the concept of feminist foreign policies for years, raising some support and not a few snickers from dissenters. A new campaign led by women with strong professional qualifications and global experience in more than 50 organizations plans to change that mind-set in the United States. On May …

Security Council, US Foreign Relations, Women

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US Foreign Relations

UN-Watchers Expect the Worst From Trump at General Assembly Next Week

Trump’s Mysterious Relationship With Putin

India’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels, Casting Light on UN Counterterrorism Ops, US Asylum Seekers Stuck in Mexico

In Mexico, the UN Refugee Agency Alleviates a Crisis Created by the Trump Administration

Nikki Haley Didn’t Get on Trump’s Re-Election Ticket, but 2024 Is Around the Bend

Mali’s Coup, Belarus’s Protests, Pompeo’s Brief Appearance at the UN

All Fuss and No Substance on the Middle East ‘Breakthrough’

The US Envoy for Iran Leaves Just as the US Pushes for a UN Vote on Its Weapons Ban

Missing the Love at the Canada-US Border Crossings

Pompeo’s New Agenda Targets the UN Rights Declaration

Does the New US Envoy for Women’s Rights Have Anything to Do?

Coronavirus Soars, Trump Golfs, Pence Falls: Who the Hell Is in Charge of the US?

Trump Is So Scary He Makes Even Bolton Look Good

Biden’s Toughest Task: Linking Foreign Policy to a Changed America

Is the US Ready for a Feminist Foreign Policy? Absolutely, Advocates Say

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