US-UN Relations

The Nuclear Ban Treaty Enters Into Force, 75 Years After Hiroshima

• January 22, 2021

THE HAGUE — An international agreement that bans nuclear weapons became operational on Jan. 22, more than 75 years after the detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki heralded the atomic age. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or Nuclear Ban Treaty for short, was negotiated in 2017 and reached enough ratifications on Oct. …

Disarmament, Nuclear Disarmament, Peace and Security, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

Trump’s UN Team: Gone Today, Sadly Still Here Tomorrow

Irwin Arieff

• January 21, 2021

Donald Trump may be out, along with his disastrously incompetent foreign policy advisers, but don’t expect them to sit quietly on the sidelines while a new team struggles to clean up the mess they left behind. Just days before Joe Biden’s inauguration, Nikki Haley, Trump’s first United Nations ambassador, declared that she was forming …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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Biden Is Sworn in as 46th US President, Marking a New Era for the Globe

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 20, 2021

Capping the most tumultuous and dangerous 14 days in American politics, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States just before noon today. Only two weeks ago, on Jan. 6, a pro-Trump mob swarmed the US Capitol demanding that Biden’s election be overturned, sending legislators, fearing for …

Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Diplomats, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

6 African Peacekeepers Killed; UN Chief Pursues a Second Term; US Sanctions Houthis in Yemen

Ivana Ramirez

• January 15, 2021

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pursues a second term; a total of six peacekeepers were killed in Mali and the Central African Republic; Britain helps raise $1 billion for the UN’s Covax vaccine program. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered …

Africa, General Assembly, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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Healing America and Restoring Its Standing in the World: An A to Z Guide

Mona Ali Khalil

• January 14, 2021

The world watched on Jan. 6, 2021, as thousands of the most extreme supporters of President Donald Trump marched on the United States Capitol after hearing his rallying cry to “fight” and “take back” the country. Inside the Capitol, Vice President Mike Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify the …

Governance, Health and Population, Human Rights, International Justice, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Why the EU Is Hopeful About the UN in 2021: An Interview With Ambassador Olof Skoog

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 12, 2021

Olof Skoog knows the United Nations like the back of his hand. As the European Union ambassador to the world body since 2019, he speaks for the 27-member bloc at the UN headquarters in New York City; most recently, he was Sweden’s envoy to the UN. He is known for his optimism — even …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, UN Diplomats, US-UN Relations

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres Says He Will Seek a Second Term

Barbara Crossette

• January 11, 2021

António Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister who has been United Nations secretary-general since January 2017, is seeking a second five-year term in office, beginning Jan. 1, 2022. UN officials confirmed on Jan. 11 that on Friday, Jan. 8, Guterres told the five permanent members of the Security Council of his decision. He also …

Secretary-General, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Deadly Violence in D.C.; a Beloved UN Diplomat Dies; Fatal Attacks in Niger

Ivana Ramirez

• January 8, 2021

The United States Capitol stormed by pro-Trump rioters; a legendary UN diplomat dies at 101; Islamist jihadists blamed for fatal assault in Niger. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, original reporting and other sources. …

Africa, General Assembly, Libya, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, UN Diplomats, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

A New Year’s Hope: Restoring the Progressive Role of the US at the UN

Jessica Neuwirth

• December 28, 2020

A wave of relief and hope is sweeping across the United Nations, and the world, desperately awaiting the inauguration of Joe Biden and the beginning of the restoration of normalcy. Hopefully, we will quickly see the rebuilding of our country’s leadership and much-needed progress in the UN, as well as in other international forums …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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THIS WEEK @UN

Trump’s Trashing of the Rule of Law; a Christmas in Pakistan; 3 Burundian Peacekeepers Killed

Ivana Ramirez

• December 26, 2020

An A-to-Z list of Trump’s assaults on the rule of law; reactions to the US-Morocco-Western Sahara news; turmoil in the Central African Republic before elections. Happy Boxing Day! You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, …

Africa, Health and Population, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

President Trump’s Attacks on the Rule of Law, From A to Z

Mona Ali Khalil

• December 21, 2020

President Trump’s attacks on the rule of law in his four years in office have ranged from blatant disregard to outright breach of everything from well-established ethical values to universally accepted international norms, from United States laws and regulations to international laws and treaties. As the Trump presidency ends, there is hope that the …

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

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THIS WEEK @UN

A Covid-19 Vaccine for UN Folks?; Steering Biden to the UN; Guterres Goes to Germany

Ivana Ramirez

• December 18, 2020

Does UN Secretary-General António Guterres deserve another term; as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out in New York City, what about UN staff and diplomats there; and how far will President-elect Biden go at the UN? You’re reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most-pressing issues facing the international organization. The information is gathered …

Health and Population, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

How Far Will Biden Go With the UN?

Stephen Schlesinger

• December 16, 2020

As President-elect Joe Biden finds his footing in foreign affairs, one of his foremost challenges will be re-engaging with the United Nations. So far, he has said little about the organization, but he has just appointed a new UN envoy-in-waiting, an experienced and articulate diplomat, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and …

Security Council, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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‘He Is Who He Is’: 4 Experts Assess the Record of the UN’s António Guterres

Barbara Crossette

• December 14, 2020

Ever since the day in 1946 when the first secretary-general of the United Nations, Trygve Lie of Norway, took office, big powers have meddled in how the job is done. Most often, the United States has been the most intrusive. Lie resigned in 1953, before the end of his second, shortened term, with his …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, Secretary-General, US-UN Relations

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US Envoy-Designate to the UN Turns the Long-Awaited Spotlight on Africa

Barbara Crossette

• December 7, 2020

When President-elect Joe Biden nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, he was signaling that American diplomacy would face big changes. If she is confirmed by the Senate in the new year, the UN will have a seasoned, top-rank diplomat in the United States’ Security Council seat, a break …