The UN at 75

Looking Backward into The Future: Why the United Nations Has Failed to Prevent Genocide

At its root, genocide is committed through a lack of empathy, and it has failed to be prevented by a lack of political will. It is time to reverse those failings by rethinking our systems and challenging our assumptions.

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Prioritizing Palestinian Self-Determination is Long Overdue

By Omar Auf

July 26, 2024 / Summer 2024

The discussion about a one-state or two-state solution must be preceded by efforts to facilitate exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinian people. Only then can a realistic solution be genuinely pursued.

World Refugee Day Highlights Growing Challenges

By Abigail Flynn

June 19, 2024

The growing rate of refugees across the globe constitutes an international crisis. Supporting these displaced people requires acknowledging the consequences of conflict and building resilient frameworks to protect refugee rights

UNRWA After October 7: Building a Comprehensive Response Framework for Palestinian Refugees

By Lex Takkenberg

June 2, 2024 / Spring 2024

UNRWA’s future cannot be considered in isolation—a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach, with displacement issues at its center, is now necessary.

The Implementation Crisis—with Richard Falk

By Omar Auf

May 20, 2024

International law scholar Richard Falk discusses international law and politics as they pertain to the ongoing genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and the wider Palestinian plight, in addition to UN reform.

Is There Hope for Gaza Under International Law?

By Abigail Flynn

January 28, 2024 / Winter 2024

Why has international law failed to hold Israel responsible for its destruction of Gaza? It was built to enable the colonizer, not to protect the colonized, explains legal expert Jason Beckett.

Failures of International Law and Violence in Gaza

By Abigail Flynn

October 31, 2023

The recent attacks on Gaza have raised important questions regarding the effectiveness of international law in preventing violence

Navigating R2P Between Norm and Practice

By Omar Auf

January 18, 2023 / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The idea that states are responsible for the protection of their own people is a powerful normative and transformative one, but is far from complete or conclusive

Democratizing International Relations

By Antonio Patriota

January 18, 2023 / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali deserves to be remembered for his defense of the application of democratic principles to the international order. Today, the multipolarity of the contemporary world can help further Botrous-Ghali’s vision

For A Worse Tomorrow

November 18, 2021 / Fall 2021

Journalist Dahr Jamail stresses the severity of the climate crisis—and asks everyone to start acting like it.

Syria: The Illusive Settlement Part 2

By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy

October 5, 2021

Resolving the Syrian conflict offers an opportunity to bring stability to the Middle East, but only if compromises can be made, starting with UN resolution 2254.

The Climate Crisis Needs a Global Green New Deal

By Ariana Bennett

September 23, 2021 / Fall 2021

A Global Green New Deal would equitably prevent dangerous levels of warming, but it must be implemented soon.

The Renaissance Dam after the Security Council

By Nabil Fahmy

July 13, 2021 / Summer 2021

Egypt and Sudan continue to insist on a tripartite agreement to manage Ethiopia’s contentious plan to execute its Renaissance dam on the Nile.

Africa is Climbing the Prosperity Ladder but Some Rungs are Broken

By Musaazi Namiti

July 9, 2021 / Summer 2021

Africa is a continent with six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies, but can it overcome its major challenges?

The Long Road to African Tourism Recovery

By Helmo Preuss

July 9, 2021 / Summer 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in 2020, but this year a slow vaccine rollout and new variants means it will take a while to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Doughnut Economics: Living in a Sustainable World

By Dania El Akkawi

May 25, 2021

How humanity can transform from traditional growth-first economic policies to a 21st century vision centered around sustainable development.

Can the Arab Region meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?

By Mourad Wahba

March 2, 2021 / Winter 2021

There are multiple challenges which need to be confronted in both data collection and public policy so that the SDGs can be attained.

Learning from a Diplomatic Trailblazer to Tackle Global Inequalities

By Sean David Hobbs

November 21, 2020

Guest speaker at the 16th Nadia Younes Memorial Lecture, Dutch Minister Sigrid Kaag, presented ideas for geopolitical challenges in the Middle East and North Africa during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Restoring (Some) Impartiality to UN Senior Appointments

By Jeffrey Feltman

October 28, 2020 / Fall 2020

At the root of UN appointments lies a tension between member states’ interests, and a commitment to impartial and effective world leadership. Today, the pendulum has swung too far; a rebalance is in order.