Donald Trump

Trump’s Mysterious Relationship With Putin

September 14, 2020

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

Protecting a Nobelist, Dr. Mukwege; Climate Chaos; Where Are the Women at #UNGA75?

September 12, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Iran continues to enrich low-grade uranium; the United Nations finally sent peacekeepers to protect Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, after he received more death threats; and the major General Assembly session of world leaders, starting Sept. 22, features only 11 women so far, and the first one to speak is No. …

Africa, Climate and Environment, Education, General Assembly, Human Rights, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Hear a Woman at the UNGA? 53 Speakers, to Be Exact

September 10, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion

The first woman scheduled to speak at this year’s opening session of the United Nations General Assembly is 53rd on the list of about 119 heads of state — President Zuzana Caputova of Slovakia — delivering her remarks on Sept. 23. The day before, the first of the big gathering, will not feature any …

General Assembly, US-UN Relations, Women

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As Iran Allows the UN Access to Suspected Nuclear Sites, Its Uranium Stockpile Is Growing

September 7, 2020

by Stephanie Liechtenstein

VIENNA — The International Atomic Energy Agency has just reported that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium continues to grow. The stockpile now exceeds the limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal tenfold. According to the confidential quarterly IAEA report, distributed to member states on Sept. 4 and seen by PassBlue, as of Aug. 25, …

Middle East, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council

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WORLDVIEWS

Beijing, 25 Years Later: Are Women Better Off?

September 4, 2020

by Ellen Chesler

Twenty-five years ago, the United Nations hosted the largest gathering of women (and more than a few good men) in its 50-year history. Some 17,000 participants — among them, official government delegates, representatives of accredited nongovernmental organizations, international civil servants and members of the press — registered for the Fourth World Conference on Women …

Human Rights, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The Unifil Peacekeeping Mandate: Kicking the Southern Lebanon Can Down the Road

September 3, 2020

by Karim Makdisi

On Aug. 28, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to renew its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, called Unifil, for another year. This unanimity, however, masked what had been a series of heated informal discussions on the nature of Unifil and the interpretation of its mandate. The United States, essentially representing Israel, threatened …

Middle East, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, 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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TOPIC: WOMEN

Not All Human Rights Council Specialists Are Perfect: The Latest Controversy

August 19, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

To keep tabs on the lives and rights of people across the world, the United Nations Human Rights Council has the help of 44 independent monitors supposedly chosen for their expertise on a range of themes, from harsh government abuses to often-overlooked individual special needs. A dozen others are assigned specific countries to watch. …

Gender-Based Violence, Human Trafficking, Women

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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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THIS WEEK @UN

The Struggling SDGs, Money for Beirut, Resuming Vaccinations in Pakistan and Afghanistan

August 15, 2020

by Allison Lecce

The tremendous fallout from the explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4 continues as the United Nations offers direct aid, including providing a mobile health clinic and vaccines for children, while a new $565 million appeal to help the Lebanese recover has begun. And in a stunning rejection, a United States draft resolution submitted to …

This Week @UN

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The US Gamble to Extend the Iran Arms Ban Fails. What’s Next?

August 14, 2020

by Evelyn Leopold

Doomed from the start, the United States asked the 14 other United Nations Security Council members to approve a resolution to extend an arms embargo on Iran that expires on Oct. 18. The embargo is part of the Security Council resolution adopted in 2015 that endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to …

Middle East, Nuclear Disarmament, US-UN Relations

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Indonesia’s Legacy in the Security Council: Daring to Save Lives

August 3, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion

A big power in Southeast Asia and a middle power globally, Indonesia plays a “bridge builder” role in the United Nations Security Council, it says. It’s a strategy that is getting harder and harder to embody, however, with rising tensions among the five big powers in the Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the …

Asia, Security Council, Security Council Presidency

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This Week's Most Popular

SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Can Vietnam Rally the Big UN Powers to Stop More Bloodshed in Myanmar?

Stéphanie Fillion

COVID-19

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Donald Trump

Trump’s Mysterious Relationship With Putin

Protecting a Nobelist, Dr. Mukwege; Climate Chaos; Where Are the Women at #UNGA75?

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Hear a Woman at the UNGA? 53 Speakers, to Be Exact

As Iran Allows the UN Access to Suspected Nuclear Sites, Its Uranium Stockpile Is Growing

Beijing, 25 Years Later: Are Women Better Off?

The Unifil Peacekeeping Mandate: Kicking the Southern Lebanon Can Down the Road

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

Not All Human Rights Council Specialists Are Perfect: The Latest Controversy

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

The Struggling SDGs, Money for Beirut, Resuming Vaccinations in Pakistan and Afghanistan

The US Gamble to Extend the Iran Arms Ban Fails. What’s Next?

Indonesia’s Legacy in the Security Council: Daring to Save Lives

This Week's Most Popular

The Pandemic Reveals the Disturbing Depths of Ageism, Especially for Women

Schools Fail the Youngest Where Population Grows the Fastest

A Latin American Pact on the Environment Is Picking Up Speed, but Brazil and Others Need to Ratify It

Myanmar’s Coup Crisis Persists; Global Bias Against Older People; Vietnam Is in Charge

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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