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July 13, 2009 | Don't Blame the Security Council for North Korea

Adam Chapnick: As the international community struggles to respond effectively to the missile tests by the North Korean government, critics have blamed the United Nations Security Council for failing to deter aggression and preserve world peace. That blame is misplaced. In this case, responsibility for controlling North Korea falls squarely on China.

July 11, 2007 | Europe Must Stop Iran

Dirk Niebel: Britain, France and Germany should get tough on Tehran through European economic pressure. Nuclear progress has already emboldened the government, and the West must take decisive action before it is too late.

July 3, 2007 | Kosovo: The Next Transatlantic Clash?

Ulf Gartzke: I warn of a looming “nightmare scenario” when EU member states could split from the US and each other over independent status for Kosovo. Results from the latest Bush-Putin summit could raise the stakes.

February 9, 2010 | Emerging Countries Backing Iran on Nuclear Program

China has replaced Russia at the UN Security Council as the one remaining obstacle to coercive sanctions on Iran’s military nuclear ambitions. ++ The possible Chinese veto finds a sound echo among the emerging countries. ++ Brazil reaffirms its support to Iran even in the darkest times of Iranian diplomacy while Turkey would very much enjoy a trouble-shooter status. ++ Positions from Nigeria, the

September 28, 2009 | Another Nuclear Plant?

The recent revelation of Iran’s continued nuclear program was a successful intelligence coup for he US but has only served to intensify Iran’s stand. ++ “It follows that outside powers will have little chance of stopping the nuclear program through peaceful means unless the two leaders (President Ahmadinejad &Ayatollah Khamenei) lose power in the ongoing domestic conflict.” ++

July 1, 2009 | North Korea: As Truce Ends, Ships Must Be Searched

The UN resolution banning North Korean weapons trade is ineffective as it requires the regime to consent to foreign inspection of its ships. ++ Yet, North Korea’s belligerent stance gives the US a go-ahead: announcing the end of the truce with South Korea, it allows the US, a combatant in the conflict and leader of the UN Command, to use force. ++ Risk of war is low, the danger of proliferation

April 15, 2009 | North Korea's Self-Imposed Isolation Is Dangerous

North Korea’s closest ally, China, will have to lead any constructive diplomatic response to Kim Jong-Il’s decision to abandon long-running nuclear non-proliferation talks following international condemnation of Pyongyang’s firing of a test missile. ++ China is keen to make its mark on the world stage and “has both the clout and the responsibility to haul Pyongyang back into line.” ++ Getting

November 6, 2008 | America's New Global Image

Barack Obama’s election is a great first step to restore America’s image – but to maintain that image, real progress must be seen. ++ Despite the economic gloom, keeping his tax policy pledges will solidify domestic confidence in the president-elect. ++ The real work to be done, however, is international in its nature: “You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our

October 21, 2008 | Climate Change Threatens Security

Climate change “is not a traditional problem of national security, but one related to our collective security in a fragile and increasingly interdependent world.” ++ The European Commission recently released a report saying that climate change is indeed an international security issue. ++ The growing scarcity of water will increase migration, and the struggle for resources will breed conflict. ++

September 1, 2008 | International Silence Costs Darfuri Lives

The regime in Khartoum threatens the UN humanitarian and peacekeeping presence in Darfur. ++ If UN Security Council does not take action in the face of such outrageous threats, humanitarian organizations will withdraw from the region, leaving millions without help. ++ Support from African, Arab, and Islamic countries makes Khartoum increasingly confident that it will not be held accountable for

May 16, 2008 | UN Intervention in Darfur is Imperative

Next month the US will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council. ++ In hopes of preserving its currently vulnerable legacy as an architect of peace, the US plans to move forward in deploying peacekeeping troops to the Darfur region. ++ As the suffering on the ground intensifies, the Bush administration is hoping for partnerships with other African nations to progress in Sudan. ++ Due to

May 14, 2008 | Bolstering the West With a League of Democracies

With new ideological competition in global politics, the formation of a ‘League of Democracies’ could prove pivotal in continuing the West’s export of value systems and developmental models. ++ Some fear that a concert of democracies will create new Cold War-like tensions or supplant the UN’s security function. ++ Such a league could however, operate in areas where other

May 13, 2008 | No Resolution in Sight to Iranian Nuclear Stalemate

Amid escalating rhetoric about Iranian military involvement in Iraq, a new package of incentives by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany is unlikely to persuade Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment. ++ As long as open-ended suspension remains the prerequisite for the continuation of talks, Iran will continue its defiance. ++ “The insistence on this precondition

April 20, 2007 | Daniel Allot on Western Impotence in Darfur

Efforts to solve the Darfur conflict continually follow the same fruitless pattern, writes Daniel Allot of The Weekly Standard:

1. The West pressures the Sudanese government to stop violations, while threatening sanctions.
2. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir promises to meet the demands.
3. The Sudanese government reneges on its promises without repercussions.

The result: Khartoum no