WORLDVIEWS

To Save the Earth, Deepen Incentives for a Carbon-Free World

October 6, 2018

When United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke passionately about the frightening prospect of a climate catastrophe recently, he called it “the defining issue of our time.” Everything in his powerful speech was backed by science. Yet, because secretaries-general cannot say everything, it was incomplete. What Guterres did not say is that global warming is the flip side …

Climate and Environment, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

New US Policies on Visas Can Hurt Same-Sex Couples at the UN

October 2, 2018

by Alfonso Nam

The recent decision by the United States State Department requiring all foreign nationals working in America for international organizations, including the United Nations, to be married in order for their same-sex spouses to receive a derivative visa, called the G-4, increases the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ couples in same-sex relationships. This much is clear. …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Is Under Siege, So Where Is the Secretary-General?

September 18, 2018

by Thomas G. Weiss

Was it only two years ago that so many people were elated by the appointment of António Guterres as secretary-general of the United Nations? After public debates organized by the president of the General Assembly and informal ones by the 1-for-7-Billion “Find the Best UN Leader” coalition, he emerged as the top candidate in …

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

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Mission in Lebanon, Saved From the US Ax for Another Year

September 11, 2018

by Karim Makdisi

BEIRUT — In late August, the United Nations Security Council unanimously renewed its peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon, called Unifil. The less confrontational tone around the negotiation of Resolution 2433, contrasting with the heated debate on the renewal a year ago, can be read as a positive sign for Lebanon and the UN. It …

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

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WORLDVIEWS

The US vs. Unrwa: Who Really Loses?

September 6, 2018

by Mona Ali Khalil

It is entirely the United States’ prerogative to cut off its voluntary contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or Unrwa. In her statements about why the Trump administration has decided to do so, however, Ambassador Nikki Haley misses the mark on who should be grateful …

Human Rights, Middle East, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The Devastating Decline of Human-Rights Justice Across the World

August 20, 2018

by Bertrand Ramcharan

The soul of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being destroyed with the disappearance of human-rights justice in the world. Everyone should be concerned if not frightened. The appointment of Michelle Bachelet of Chile as UN high commissioner for human rights, who has personally experienced injustice, offers hope that her voice will …

Human Rights, International Justice, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

No Justice for Yazidi Women Yet: Why Not?

August 10, 2018

by Akila Radhakrishnan

It has been four years since ISIS launched its genocidal assault on the Yazidi community in the Middle East. ISIS fighters have faced terrorism charges in Iraq and abroad, yet not a single ISIS fighter has been prosecuted for, much less convicted of, genocide. For the Yazidis, justice remains out of reach. In light …

Gender-Based Violence, International Justice, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Violence Against Women Worsens by the Day in the Congo

July 26, 2018

by Justine Masika Bihamba

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been placed on the United Nations Security Council agenda for several decades, in one form or another through various peacekeeping missions. The Council regularly meets on the status of the Congo, with the most recent session occurring on July 26, 2018, concentrating on progress toward scheduled presidential and …

Africa, Gender-Based Violence, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Secretary-General’s Human-Rights Crisis Can Be Solved

June 26, 2018

by Bertrand Ramcharan

There is a crisis in the United Nations human-rights system. Secretary-General António Guterres can lead the way out of it. Indeed, the world continues to look to the UN secretary-general to stand up for the principles of the organization. One of the highest responsibilities of the incumbent is to help steer a course toward …

General Assembly, Human Rights, Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Do We Even Need the UN? An Academic’s Quest to Find the Answer

June 24, 2018

by Dulcie Leimbach

Would the world be better off without the United Nations? The question couldn’t be more important in the age of Trump and his rejection of multilateral institutions as well as traditional allies. Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York Graduate Center, took on this question, speaking …

Secretary-General, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN’s Emphasis on Prevention Could Use Lessons From the Case of Guinea

June 18, 2018

by Gustavo Macedo

Historically neglected, gender-based violence is now becoming broadly recognized as a legitimate and urgent agenda item among the United Nations member nations, notably in the UN’s most powerful forum, the Security Council. But the future of the agenda is uncertain, as priorities remain unclear and inadequate methods for preventing sexual violence against women keep …

Africa, Gender-Based Violence, Responsibility to Protect, Secretary-General, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Brazil Can Lead the Way on Managing the World’s Refugee Crisis

June 5, 2018

by Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Maiara Folly

RIO DE JANEIRO — Only weeks from the start of the 2018 World Cup, soccer teams of refugees from Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Angola, Burkina Faso and Gambia who had migrated to Brazil became the protagonists in a recent soccer competition: the Multicultural Cup, organized by Instituto Adus, a nongovernmental …

Migration, Refugees, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

To Help the World Sleep Better, Salvage the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

May 25, 2018

by Ben Donaldson

If United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo follows through with his threat to impose “the strongest sanctions in history” on Iran, the United States should be prepared for Iran to retaliate by withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Last month, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security …

Nuclear Disarmament, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN’s Cruz Report on Improving Peacekeepers’ Security Goes Too Far

May 20, 2018

by Mona Ali Khalil

Since 1999, the United Nations Security Council has consistently entrusted its peacekeeping operations with clear authority to use force beyond self-defense — primarily for the protection of civilians. To fulfill the mandate, the Council expects UN peacekeeping forces to take preventive as well as responsive actions; to proactively patrol the local communities; to project a …

Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN and #MeToo: All Forms of Abuse Must End Now

May 9, 2018

by Loraine Rickard-Martin

For many years now, media attention on sexual abuse and exploitation by United Nations peacekeepers cornered the UN and pushed it toward reform. Now, the #MeToo movement has put the organization — and many other major institutions across the world — on red alert. But UN insiders and supporters are wondering if the leadership’s …

Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

To Save the Earth, Deepen Incentives for a Carbon-Free World

New US Policies on Visas Can Hurt Same-Sex Couples at the UN

The UN Is Under Siege, So Where Is the Secretary-General?

The UN Mission in Lebanon, Saved From the US Ax for Another Year

The US vs. Unrwa: Who Really Loses?

The Devastating Decline of Human-Rights Justice Across the World

No Justice for Yazidi Women Yet: Why Not?

Violence Against Women Worsens by the Day in the Congo

The UN Secretary-General’s Human-Rights Crisis Can Be Solved

Do We Even Need the UN? An Academic’s Quest to Find the Answer

The UN’s Emphasis on Prevention Could Use Lessons From the Case of Guinea

Brazil Can Lead the Way on Managing the World’s Refugee Crisis

To Help the World Sleep Better, Salvage the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

The UN’s Cruz Report on Improving Peacekeepers’ Security Goes Too Far

The UN and #MeToo: All Forms of Abuse Must End Now

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