Western Sahara

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

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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THIS WEEK @UN

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

December 26, 2020

by Ivana Ramirez

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

December 21, 2020

by Mona Ali Khalil

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

Still No Aid Into Tigray; Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Africa; Western Sahara Left Hanging by US

December 11, 2020

by Ivana Ramirez

A United Nations convoy was shot at in Ethiopia’s Tigray region; Southeast Asia’s progress on the women, peace and security agenda; the United States brokers a deal with Morocco in exchange for loss of Western Sahara’s sovereignty. You’re reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most-pressing issues facing the international organization. The information …

Africa, Asia, Climate and Environment, Governance, Health and Population, This Week @UN

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THIS WEEK @UN

Fed-Up Africans; Has Biden Forgotten the UN?; Don’t Sanction the Houthis

November 20, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Africans are fed up with being sidelined in the Security Council; hey, Joe Biden, don’t overlook the UN; a mother of five competes against 12 men in the Burkina Faso presidential election. You are reading This Week @UN, highlighting the most important news on the world body. The information is drawn from the UN spokesperson’s …

Africa, Human Rights, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

An Afghan Midwife Delivers; Fighting in Ethiopia Erupts; the UN Reacts to US Election Results

November 13, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

An Afghan midwife saving lives in her country; the UN secretary-general congratulates US president-elect Joe Biden (sort of); a new gender group with a questionable purpose. You are reading This Week @UN, highlighting the most important news on the world body. The information is drawn from the UN spokesperson’s briefings, our original reporting and other …

Africa, Caribbean, Secretary-General, This Week @UN

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Who Could Be the 194th UN Member State?

October 26, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion

As the United Nations turns 75 years old this month, it is worth noting that its membership has more than tripled — almost quadrupled — since its founding in 1945. From 50 signatories at the San Francisco conference that year to 193 member states and two with observer state status today, the UN has …

Africa, General Assembly, Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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WORLDVIEWS

Big Powers at the UN Are Hanging Western Sahara Out to Dry

November 5, 2019

by Fatma Medhi

A stunning policy reversal by the United States regarding Western Sahara occurred last week, but it didn’t make many headlines. What happened? When the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution on Western Sahara, renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission —Minurso — there for another 12 months, the action meant America’s …

Africa, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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GEOPOLITICS

The US Is Driving the New Talks on Western Sahara, Involving Morocco and Algeria

December 2, 2018

by Stéphanie Fillion

Horst Koehler, a former German president who has been the United Nations special envoy for Western Sahara since last year, is bringing the parties to the longstanding conflict over that region to a roundtable meeting in Geneva soon. Koehler expressed his intent last summer to bring all the relevant players together by the end …

Africa, Geopolitics, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN’s Three Main Bodies Are Failing to Do Their Job

October 11, 2016

by Mona Ali Khalil

“Those who seek to bestow legitimacy must themselves embody it, and those who invoke international law must themselves submit to it.” So spoke United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2004. Annan’s statement should be understood to apply to the principal organs of …

WORLDVIEWS

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BOOKS

UN Peacekeeping: A Portrait of More Than 50 Years

December 28, 2015

by Helmut Volger

For many people in the world, the United Nations is often associated with peacekeeping, one of the most visible activities of the world body in its efforts to maintain international peace and security. Peacekeeping was created in the late 1940s and developed over decades into an ambitious instrument to contain severe political and military …

BOOKS

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Mostly, Sahrawi Women Just Want to Go Home

March 5, 2015

by Johanna Higgs

NEAR TINDOUF, Algeria — Our goal was to understand the dynamics of women who live in the refugee camps here in the Sahara Desert, where tens of thousands of Sahrawi people reside in tents and mud-brick buildings, having fled their homeland up to decades ago. The camps originated in 1975-1976, when the Sahrawis first …

Africa, Refugees, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, Women

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Western Sahara: A Chance for Change or to Stay Stuck in Time

April 10, 2013

by Dulcie Leimbach

The saga of Western Sahara, a disputed territory that has been stuck in limbo in North Africa for decades, will receive its annual nod this month by the United Nations Security Council, but this time actual changes may be afoot if the council acts more decisively, particularly on human-rights matters. Christopher Ross, the UN …

Africa, Human Rights, Peace and Security, Refugees, Security Council

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Western Sahara

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

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

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

Still No Aid Into Tigray; Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Africa; Western Sahara Left Hanging by US

Fed-Up Africans; Has Biden Forgotten the UN?; Don’t Sanction the Houthis

An Afghan Midwife Delivers; Fighting in Ethiopia Erupts; the UN Reacts to US Election Results

Who Could Be the 194th UN Member State?

Big Powers at the UN Are Hanging Western Sahara Out to Dry

The US Is Driving the New Talks on Western Sahara, Involving Morocco and Algeria

The UN’s Three Main Bodies Are Failing to Do Their Job

UN Peacekeeping: A Portrait of More Than 50 Years

Mostly, Sahrawi Women Just Want to Go Home

Western Sahara: A Chance for Change or to Stay Stuck in Time

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