Here's Why the UN Sat on Its Hands During 5 Years of War in Syria
The 'great power' origins and recent deadly failings of the power of veto inside the U.N. Security Council.
The 'Staggering' Civilian Costs of Iraq's Fight Against ISIS
The UN estimates that at least 18,000 Iraqis have been killed since the start of 2014, a number it warns might be too low.
The United Nations Must Clamp Down on ISIS Oil Profits
With little power to stop Islamic State administrators from taxing subjugated populations, the world community must focus on limiting petrochemical revenues.
The US Military Just Lost Its Carbon Exemption, But Don't Expect Big Changes Soon
Under the Paris climate agreement, countries are no longer exempted from cutting military emissions. Here's how that figures into U.S. plans, which are not set to begin for many years.
UN Peacekeeping Needs a Major Technological Update
The blue-helmeted troops often find themselves with far inferior gear than local fighters and even police.
The Rules of Cyberspace Just Got A Bit Clearer
The UN's new recommendations guiding state activity in cyberspace break new ground in three important areas.
What the UN Can Do To Fix Its Peacekeeping Mission
UN peacekeeping missions are 'not suited to engage in military counterterror operations,' according to the first independent report on UN peacekeeping operations since 2000.
Kerry Defends UN Vote on Iran Deal, Says Bought Congress Time
Members of Congress wanted a vote on the Iran agreement before the U.N. had its say, but the Obama administration says it fought and won them a 90-day window.
The Tiny, Cash-Strapped Agency at the Heart of the Iran Deal
Enforcing the agreement is the job of the IAEA, an organization that has a budget the size of San Diego's police department.
The UN Still Can't Stop Genocide
A failure to recognize the 1995 massacre at Srebenica as genocide sent the world body decades into the past.
UN's Purpose Questioned in a 'Post-Nation' World
At the UN Charter's 70th anniversary, some ambassadors question its purpose in a world of empowered and agile non-state actors.
Two Ways the United Nations Could Improve Cybersecurity Policy This Week
It will come down to sticking with an unsatisfactory status quo or coming up with something new.
Why the West Will Ignore Samantha Powers’ Call for UN Peacekeepers
The West may have abandoned peacekeeping operations, but UN blue helmets are going strong amid a quiet global power shift.
How UN Members Want To Bypass a Security Council Veto
Proposals from France and Brazil reopened a much-needed discussion on how to make the Security Council more responsive to mass atrocities like the Syrian conflict. By Stewart M. Patrick
The Race To Claim the North Pole Is Heating Up
After 12 years and $50 million of research, Copenhagen is claiming an area of the North Pole about 20 times the size of Denmark. By Kabir Chibber
Four Ways the US Can Help the African Union Stand on Its Own
A united and capable Africa appeals to both regional players and Washington, which increasingly views violence within Africa’s many fragile states as enabling conditions for terrorists with growing global ambitions. By Stewart M. Patrick
Syria Says It Supports the Fight Against ISIL
The Syrian regime says fighting terrorism ‘is certainly possible through military strikes,’ but warns of a ‘double-standard policy’ on arming the rebels. By Ben Watson
In UN Address, Netanyahu Compares Iran to ISIL
The Israeli prime minister called ISIL and Hamas 'branches of the same poisonous tree,' and said the UN's Human Rights Council is an 'oxymoron.' By Rebecca Nelson
Iran Says the West Should Step Aside in the Fight Against ISIL
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he believes 'the right solution to this quandary comes from within the region.' By Kaveh Waddell
Obama Takes on (Most of) the World
Obama shames Russia, buries the myth of Middle East 'linkage' and promises to lead the fight against barbarism -- in a decidedly different speech at the UN. By Jeffrey Goldberg
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Help us tailor content specifically for you: