United Nations
Syria: What the UN can do, and must do
As the Syrian Government intensifies its offensive against Syria’s Idlib province, the final opposition stronghold in the nine-year old war, diplomats and UN officials are running…
For Rohingya, the long distance between law and justice
One would think that, after 100 years, the International Court of Justice would know about administering international justice. To the extent that the “world court” does or doesn…
At the UN, paying dues and having a say
The recent news that Tonga was among seven countries that had lost their right to vote in the United Nations General Assembly over unpaid dues has brought an additional element to…
With a UN Human Rights Council seat, Indonesia has a choice
Indonesia won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council this month, elected for a 2020–22 term, having received the backing of 174 countries in a secret ballot, the most…
Can the ICC bring justice to Myanmar?
More than 700,000 men, women, and children, many identifying as Rohingya, crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine State into Bangladesh in 2017, fleeing violence at the hands of…
An educated idealist is still a believer
Book review: The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir, by Samantha Power (Harper Collins 2019)
Samantha Power, an Irish immigrant whose tenacity and intellect earned her a place at…
Syria: the disgraceful stain left by the UN Security Council veto
Last week in the United Nations Security Council, Russia and China blocked a resolution that would have demanded an end to fighting in the Syrian province of Idlib, the final…
INTERFET and the defence of Australia
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET), a multinational mission led by Australia to stabilise the country in 1999…
How the US keeps priority boarding ahead of Iran at the United Nations
The US decision to impose travel restrictions on Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif when he made a visit to UN headquarters in New York for a 17 July meeting inflamed already…
Who wants to be a peacemaker?
The candidates for two non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council for 2021–22 are now in, with three countries heading to the final stage to gather support and…