The world’s deadliest U.N. mission

Since World War II, U.N. peacekeepers have been dispatched to 69 conflicts — civil wars, border disputes and failed states. But now they are confronting an unsettling new threat: al-Qaeda. Here in the vast, lawless desert of northwest Africa, their convoys are being torn apart by improvised explosive devices and their compounds blasted by 1,000-pound […]

Will the US lead at the UN or sit-out in protest?

President Trump has the power and weight of the United States to commandeer and steer the United Nations. It won’t be at his peril; leadership is critical in the body that hosts 193 member states. Not everyone has to love who is in charge, it’s more important that someone is leading the way. The U.S. Ambassador to […]

Amnesty International accuses Assad regime of mass executions in military prison

A report released by human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Assad regime of executing thousands of prisoners in mass hangings and conducting systematic torture in a military prison near Damascus. The executions took place over a four-year span, though the report indicated that torture and mass executions are likely ongoing. The organization has called on […]

Exclusive: Assad linked to Syrian chemical attacks for first time

International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters. A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) […]

The U.N. can find balance in the Middle East

The United Nations Security Council last month passed Resolution 2334, which states that Israeli settlements have “no legal basis.” The resolution made the mistake of only looking at one side of the map. To complete the job, the U.N. should pass a resolution that condemns Palestinian maximalist claims with the same sharp legal language it […]

President-elect vows to set up safe zones and hints at 5th Special Forces Group

Trump expressed both a desire to eliminate ISIS and concern for the lives lost in Syria, which means it’s likely he’ll take action with 5th Special Forces Group and JSOC. The President-elect Donald Trump made comments vowing to set up ‘safe zones’ in Syria. He made the comments in acknowledgment of the humanitarian crisis in […]

Trump has ‘very positive’ talk with new UN Secretary-General about US/UN Relations

President Elect Donald Trump, set to take office in three weeks, spoke with new United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the first time on Wednesday. According to a U.N. spokesman, the two world leaders had a “very positive discussion on U.S./U.N. relations,” despite the incoming President’s recent Twitter comments about the validity of the global […]

Fighting in Aleppo ends in Syrian victory amid allegations of civilian ‘slaughter’

After years of fighting, the Syrian government claimed victory on Tuesday over rebel groups holding out in the besieged city of Aleppo.  Reports of a ceasefire were confirmed by Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, stating that fighting would cease Tuesday evening to allow fighters that remain in rebel controlled regions of the city to […]

Syrian forces push Aleppo rebels to brink as city nears ‘total collapse’

BEIRUT — Syrian forces in the northern city of Aleppo pinned down rebel fighters to a sliver of territory on Monday as President Bashar al-Assad’s troops appeared close to capturing their biggest battlefield prize and delivering a crushing loss to the opposition. Taking full control of Aleppo — whose eastern districts were among the last […]

China Discovers the Price of Global Power: Soldiers Returning in Caskets

On his 22nd birthday, Corporal Li Lei sent a WeChat update from a United Nations compound in South Sudan. A firefight between government forces and rebels had erupted in the capital, Juba, and threatened to engulf the camp where his Chinese peacekeeping force was standing guard. His birthday wish, sent on the messaging app on July 8 […]