The United Nations Security Council was designed to stop the world’s worst fires. Too often, it has become the arsonist’s best friend. From Rwanda to Syria to Ukraine, the Council’s five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, have used or threatened the veto to stall action while civilians burned….
As special correspondents for two different Brazilian TV networks, Cultura and Gazeta, we covered four Conferences of the Parties (COPs) between 2015 and 2018 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In Paris, Marrakesh, Bonn, and Katowice, we observed how each opening speech served as a compass for environmental diplomacy during those…
Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has made his point crystal clear: He wants to proceed with the full occupation of Gaza City with troops on the ground, thus dealing the final blow to the much-weakened but still somewhat holding Hamas. He may believe it, or not. In the latter case he may be trying to…
Could there be good news out of Kananaskis? The 51st summit of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries is taking place in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on 15-17 June 2025. Despite the constantly diminishing part of the world’s population and GDP that these countries represent (reportedly 10% and 44% respectively), one cannot underestimate the importance…
The UN, the perma-polycrisis, and our shrinking moral imagination The United Nations, the world’s most ambitious peace project, is once again on the brink of running out of money. But this time, it feels different, big time. We’re living through what many now call a perma-polycrisis, a constant layering of political instability and conflicts, economic…
With the Israel-Hamas conflict still possibly having months to run and with even the outlines of an end state still far from clear, trying to chart a course for the UN at this juncture is challenging. It is nevertheless possible to identify certain lines of action and rule out others. No role for peacekeepers Let’s…
The modern notion of “citizenship” is connected to the nation state and has emerged to a large extent from the struggle for civic rights in Western societies. In recent years the term “citizenship” or “citizen” is occasionally used in a broader sense, informally as in “citizen of the world”, or even formally, as in “citizen…
Call for UNSC resolution 2720 Immediate Follow-Up To world leaders and heads of international organizations: We are in shock and outrage at the dire crisis in Gaza. We implore you to take immediate, decisive action. This is a crucial moment to avert a greater catastrophe and uphold human dignity and peace. The world at large…
Many would advise me not to venture into such a minefield as Gaza, literally and figuratively. However, I cannot remain silent in the face of the outpouring of hatred, invective, disinformation and bad faith that distorts and obscures the debate on this issue, which is tragic. I will not engage here in a historical analysis…
America’s last chance to lead Yesterday, 9 December, was the International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of Victims of the Crime of Genocide & Prevention of this Crime. Yet, the international community continues to fail abysmally to prevent it, and to intercept, arrest and hold accountable those directly responsible; nor to adequately uphold Human Rights,…
