Donald Trump

A Plea for Multilateralism From the Windy City

April 15, 2020

CHICAGO — American cities have an intimate association with the United Nations. That relationship started in San Francisco 75 years ago later this month and continues today and, one hopes, tomorrow in the New York and Washington headquarters for the UN and the Bretton Woods institutions. Chicago is my sabbatical base and an intriguing …

Covid-19, Secretary-General, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Trump, Following Up on His Earlier Threat, to Withhold Funding to WHO

April 14, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, announced from the Rose Garden of the White House on April 14 that he was withholding funding to the World Health Organization, pending a “60 to 90 day” review of its handling of the coronavirus crisis and seeming bias toward China, where the Covid-19 outbreak originated in …

Covid-19, Health and Population, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Is Kelly Craft Out of the Loop on Trump’s Pandemic Plans?

April 4, 2020

by Irwin Arieff

President Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo love to label Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus.” But Kelly Craft, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, is calling on Washington to work hand in hand with China and end the “blame game” of trying to hold Beijing responsible for the …

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

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COVID-19

The Security Council Goes Silent as the Secretary-General Opens Up

March 27, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

For the coronavirus outbreak, UN-Scripted, our podcast series, is ramping up its coverage by offering a bonus episode this week. This time, we look at how the United Nations Security Council is slowly restarting its program of work but offering few details on its operations to the media and all the countries that don’t …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Health and Population, Secretary-General, Security Council

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COVID-19

The UN in New York Shuts Physically as Most Personnel Telecommute: Updates

March 15, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach and Stéphanie Fillion

The coronavirus has officially hit the United Nations at its New York City headquarters. On Thursday, March 12, the first reported case was confirmed by a diplomat with the Philippines mission to the UN, who said that a Filipino colleague had tested positive for Covid-19 and had notified the “UN medical director’s office.” The …

Child Soldiers, Covid-19, Health and Population, Secretary-General, Security Council

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COVID-19

A UN Diplomat From the Philippines Has the Coronavirus as It Hits New York

March 12, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus keeps rising in New York City this week, the United Nations remains open for business for diplomats and for staff members who are not telecommuting, while tourists were banned as of March 10. Yet as of early evening on March 12, it was revealed by …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Health and Population

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New Tensions Sparking Between Trump and UN Rights Leader, Michelle Bachelet

March 9, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, who has been personally attacked by United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, is not planning to resign from her position, according to her office. Her term does not end until 2022, but rumors have been circulating that she could decide to leave amid …

Human Rights, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Peace Begins at Home: Gloria Steinem’s Recipe for a Nonviolent World

March 6, 2020

by Sonah Lee-Lassiter

Nearly 700 people, many of them young adults and students, flocked to the United Nations recently to attend an all-day gathering on “War No More.” Who were they eager to see and hear? The global feminist icon Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who led her fellow countrywomen to help …

Gender-Based Violence, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

UN Chief Condemns Male Privilege as Many Nations Defy Such Bashing

March 4, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

With International Women’s Day, March 8, on the horizon, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres blasted the intractable power of patriarchy, the cause of overwhelming gender injustice and an abuse of historical proportions, in his view. “Just as slavery and colonialism were a stain on previous centuries, women’s inequality should shame us all in the …

Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, Women

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WORLDVIEWS

Another Eastern European Nation Gets Tangled in US Politics

March 1, 2020

by Vlad Lupan

Days after Richard Grenell was recently named by President Trump as the United States’ acting national director of intelligence — America’s chief spy — a media site reported that Grenell had worked for an Eastern European politician whom the US has accused of corruption and barred from the country. Grenell, who is in the …

US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Battle Lines Are Drawn on Women’s Rights Before #CSW64 Even Begins

February 27, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

From the start, the diplomats leading the negotiations on the new political declaration for the United Nations’ women’s rights conference in March wanted to keep it short and sweet. That meant five pages maximum, one diplomat told PassBlue before the discussions began, inevitably frustrating diplomats who had hoped to produce a generous endorsement of …

Gender-Based Violence, US-UN Relations, Women

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US Ambassador Kelly Craft Resumes Campaign Donations with a Big Gift to Trump

February 26, 2020

by Irwin Arieff

Kelly Craft has taken a big step toward helping to ensure her political future, lavishing a campaign contribution of $360,600 on the re-election of her boss, President Donald Trump. The gift is the first that Craft, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, has dished out since joining the diplomatic corps as ambassador …

Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Win or Lose, Trump’s Policies on Women’s Health Inflict Damage

February 25, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Whether or not Donald Trump will be re-elected president on Nov. 3, a tough debate is likely to begin soon in the United States Congress over the national budget for the unpredictable year ahead. Reproductive health issues rank high on the agenda for women’s rights advocates. Trump’s proposed budget would continue to restrict funds …

Gender-Based Violence, Women

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WORLDVIEWS

How the US Enabled Aggressions by China and Russia at the UN

February 24, 2020

by Geoffrey Roberts

For the last decade, Western democracies and human-rights defenders have been locked in a tense struggle with authoritarian great powers at the United Nations. Since 2009, Russia and China have waged a highly successful campaign to dismantle the international human-rights system, particularly through the Human Rights Council. The two countries have made strides especially …

Human Rights, WORLDVIEWS

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Palestine v. Israel, and the US Democratic Race: Our Double-Episode Podcast

February 20, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

President Trump has made good on his campaign promises to redefine America’s relationship with the rest of the world — for better or for worse — and the United Nations has in many ways been the epicenter of his “American First” policy abroad. Most recently, his peace proposal for Israel and Palestine scraps decades …