Delivering his final address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama called on the world to move forward with “a better model of cooperation and integration.”
“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter
What Now for Syria?
Posted September 20th, 2016 at 5:27 pm (UTC-5)
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While world leaders convene in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, Syrians besieged by five years of civil war will have to wait longer for some humanitarian aid to arrive.
Aid shipments resumed Wednesday following Monday’s apparent air strike on a United Nations convoy, killing 20 civilians. “Just when we think it cannot get any worse, the bar of depravity sinks lower,” said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
A ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia allowed the convoy to start its dangerous trek from the Turkish border to Aleppo.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other diplomats say the ceasefire is not dead yet and the U.N. Security Council will take up Syria on Wednesday.
After an accidental airstrike that killed about 60 Syrian or Syrian-allied soldiers, does the United States have any leverage left to revive the ceasefire, get aid to those who need it and continue the battle against Islamic State?
The Next UN Secretary General Should Be from Eastern Europe
Posted August 29th, 2016 at 12:46 pm (UTC-5)
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Since the fall of the Berlin wall, Eastern Europe has been under-represented on the international stage….As a region, they have largely overcome the economic yoke of Soviet domination and have embraced democratic values….experienced and respected leaders from Eastern Europe deserve a second look.
Everyone Hates the U.N. (Until They Need It)
Posted April 26th, 2016 at 3:04 pm (UTC-5)
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Caring too much about the United Nations, or evincing any faith in it, has been a mark of naiveté in Washington, even in Democratic administrations. But to get the most out of the world body, the United States has to be willing to invest.
I Love the U.N., but It Is Failing
Posted March 18th, 2016 at 1:50 pm (UTC-5)
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If you locked a team of evil geniuses in a laboratory, they could not design a bureaucracy so maddeningly complex, requiring so much effort but in the end incapable of delivering the intended result. The system is a black hole into which disappear countless tax dollars and human aspirations, never to be seen again.
Kerry Urges Full Implementation of Deal to End Misery in Syria
Posted February 12th, 2016 at 1:21 pm (UTC-5)
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“This progress has the potential to…to be able to change the daily lives of the Syrian people.” Secretary of State John Kerry
A Big Rethink in How to Aid People Beset by Crisis
Posted January 14th, 2016 at 12:56 pm (UTC-5)
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Too much aid, even if well funded, misses the mark by being top-down with tight centralized controls. The world response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, for example, came with plenty of money. Yet a post-crisis evaluation found “international agencies often brushed local capacities aside.”
Samantha Power: Putting ISIS Out of Business
Posted December 17th, 2015 at 12:19 pm (UTC-5)
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ISIL ruthlessly extracts financial resources from the territory where it operates. … To prevent ISIL from enriching itself, we need every country and its citizens to stop buying what ISIL is selling. This requires unprecedented collective action that the United Nations is uniquely positioned to mobilize.
Iran’s War on Drugs Shows How it Would ‘Help’ in Syria
Posted October 30th, 2015 at 10:12 am (UTC-5)
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Like the U.N. partnership against drugs, participation in the Syria peace process is another victory for a rogue state that seeks legitimacy from the community of nations it works so assiduously to undermine.
A Radical Win-Win Solution for Syria
Posted October 29th, 2015 at 1:26 pm (UTC-5)
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Perhaps it’s time to use the UN for its founding purpose: to end the scourge of war. The other 192 UN member states … should suspend Syria’s UN membership, which can be done under Article 5 of the UN Charter. Then the territory should be placed under the auspices of the UN’s Trusteeship Council
Congress, Don’t Isolate America Again Over Iran
Posted August 27th, 2015 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
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Our efforts to reach this deal have affirmed the view of the United States as a tough but principled leader; rejecting it would be read in many quarters as a superpower intent on inflicting pain for its own sake.
United Nations Is Home of Maddening Inaction, Hope
Posted June 12th, 2015 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
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This month marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations…. we will celebrate in a way that blends international diplomacy, a legendary American artist and a little known drawing … Norman Rockwell’s most moving paintings, Golden Rule.