United Nations News
Track how the United Nations influences global issues such as climate, human rights, and peacekeeping, with reporting and commentary.
-
- Opinion
Obama Doubles Down on Using UN to Undermine Congress
News reports confirmed this week that President Obama intends to submit the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to the United Nations Security Council before allowing Congress a chance to scrutinize the deal. The reaction from Congress was justified outrage. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
Iran Deal to Be Sent to UN Security Council Before Congress: A Deliberate Insult by the President
According to news reports, the Obama administration is currently circulating a draft United Nations Security Council resolution to implement the commitments agreed to under the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The expectation among other Security Council member states is that the U.S. will seek a vote on the resolution…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
How to Improve the UN
Seventy years ago, the five victors of World War II and 46 other signatory nations ratified the United Nations Charter, thus making the U.N. an official international body. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is using the anniversary to celebrate its accomplishments. He says, “The year 2015 is a once-in-a generation opportunity.” It is indeed. The year…Kim Holmes -
- News
United Nations Report: Iranian Violations of Sanctions Are Going Unreported
Countries monitoring the Iranian nuclear program are failing to report Iran for violating sanctions imposed against it, according to a United Nations report. The report also suggests that violations of the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions by the Iranian regime are going unreported because it would reflect poorly on Tehran as they negotiate a nuclear…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Challenges, and Successes, for United States at UN Small Arms Meeting
Today, the second meeting of government experts for the U.N. “Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons” wraps up in New York. In theory, the PoA, as it is known, is about controlling international arms smuggling. In practice, a lot of nations want to make it about gun control. So far, the U.S….Ted Bromund -
- Opinion
Kim Jong-Un Continues Reign of Purges, Executing Defense Minister
Kim Jong-un continued his reign of purges, having Minister of Defense Hyon Yong-chol executed for treason and showing disrespect to the North Korean leader by falling asleep at a military event. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported that Hyon was executed at the end of April by a firing squad using anti-aircraft artillery as hundreds…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
Why the 169 Targets UN Is Pursuing Won’t Lead to Progress in Reducing Poverty
Regardless of the name, the United Nations’ proposed list of Sustainable Development Goals actually reads more like a wish list cobbled together by a committee that could not say no. The Sustainable Development Goals, which are the heirs to the Millennium Development Goals, consist of a whopping 169 proposed targets under 17 categories. As The Economist…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
GOP, Democrats Unite in Opposing UN Arms Treaty
Since the Obama administration announced in October 2009 that it would seek to negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty through the United Nations, Congress has regularly cautioned the White House that such a treaty is not in the interests of the United States. After Secretary of State John Kerry signed the agreement in September 2013, Congress…Ted Bromund -
- Opinion
Is Obama Sidestepping Congress and Going to UN on Iran Deal?
The letter to Iran signed by 47 Republican senators has provoked a lot of commentary—and some welcome clarification on the White House’s negotiations with Iran. The letter argued that any deal President Obama makes with Iran isn’t binding past his second term. “[W]e will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
US Should Hold the Line on Palestinian Pursuit of UN Membership
Here we go again. This week, Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat has threatened that his government will apply for membership to 522 international organizations and statutes if the United States vetoes a U.N. Security Council resolution, presented last month by Jordan on behalf of Palestine and the Arab Group, establishing a “a timetable to…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
Why the US Needs to Keep Venezuela Out of the UN Security Council
Today marks the 238th day opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has spent locked away in a Venezuelan military prison. Arrested for leading peaceful antigovernment demonstrations, Leopoldo is currently standing trial and could face up to 10 years in prison. Much like the recent demonstrations seen in Ukraine, the Venezuelan government’s response has been deadly and undemocratic….Ana Quintana -
- Opinion
Why Michelle Obama Was Wrong to Trash America at the UN
In her speech to the United Nations this week, first lady Michelle Obama chose to highlight some of the negative things women face in the United States today. Successful women don’t have time to get sidetracked by gender-equality debates. “Women here are still woefully underrepresented in our government and in the senior ranks of our…Ericka Andersen -
- Opinion
Obama’s UN Speech: Long on Rhetoric, Short on Substance
President Barack Obama’s 2014 speech to the United Nations General Assembly today highlighted a number of major crises facing the world today, but it focused particularly on the responsibility of nations “to observe and enforce international norms” and reject “the cancer of violent extremism.” In substance, though, it was a strangely bipolar speech. Obama laid…Brett Schaefer -
- News
Obama’s 4 Ways for UN to Beat ISIS ‘Network of Death’
In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly today, President Obama presented his case for a global effort to defeat the Islamic State terrorist group, vowing to engage a broad coalition to dismantle the brutal jihadists’ “network of death.” Obama delivered his address two days after he expanded the American-led air campaign against the Islamic State,…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Bitcoin Voting and the Myth of the Un-Hackable Election
Bitcoin, the alternative to currency taking the Internet by storm, now may move to another mission. Some advocates want to translate the technology into online voting. Advocates promise a utopian voting scheme driven by smartphones and apps that can overcome all the inherent vulnerabilities to classic e-voting thanks to Bitcoin’s un-hackable code. But the reality…Jason Snead