Doomsday: UN’s 69th General Assembly meets amid ‘unprecedented crisis and troubles’

Doomsday: UN’s 69th General Assembly meets amid ‘unprecedented crisis and troubles’

By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Presidents, prime ministers, kings and potentates are gathering in New York for the 69th General Assembly of the UN. But as diplomats come together for the annual general debate which begins on Sept. 24, there’s a cloud of political and social unease greeting delegations from the 193 member […]

In 1950, UN forces fought back; Of what use are today’s ‘peackeepers’

In 1950, UN forces fought back; Of what use are today’s ‘peackeepers’

By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com The United Nations as a force for peace has never lived up to the hopes implicit in the name. You can’t blame a succession of secretary-generals for the failures of the UN The current secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, may seem bland and ineffective, but there’s not much he can do when each […]

Remembering a Saint who helped change the geopolitical landscape

Remembering a Saint who helped change the geopolitical landscape

UNITED NATIONS — John Paul II, the Pope from Poland, has been declared a Catholic Saint. According to Catholic canon law, the Pope performed the requisite miracles and was thus then canonized by the Vatican. Yet, one unspoken miracle of John Paul was playing a pivotal role in the ending of the Cold War. The […]

100 countries at UN rebuff Russia on Crimea; See below who backed Moscow

100 countries at UN rebuff Russia on Crimea; See below who backed Moscow

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a resounding rebuff to Russia, the UN General Assembly has reaffirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and has characterized the recent referendum which incorporated the Crimean peninsula into Russia as “invalid.” While President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty joining Crimea with Russia, the Kiev government has committed itself never to […]

UN swamped by a ‘Perfect Storm’ of humanitarian disasters

UN swamped by a ‘Perfect Storm’ of humanitarian disasters

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Faced with the ongoing civil war in Syria, the natural disaster in the Philippines, and a spreading civil conflict in the Central African Republic, the UN humanitarian agencies are confronting a near perfect storm of political and natural disasters. Add the continuing needs from earlier trouble spots such as […]

As Putin’s global popularity soars, Georgia’s outgoing president warns of a new ‘Soviet Union’

As Putin’s global popularity soars, Georgia’s outgoing president warns of  a new ‘Soviet Union’

Special to WorldTribune.com By Aaron Kovac Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been notorious for his criticism of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. As he prepares to leave office at the end of his term this month, many wonder whether his successor will prove to be as aggressive in standing up to Georgia’s “Big Brother”. It would be […]

Drones seen going where peackeepers can’t to monitor Sudan border

Drones seen going where peackeepers can’t to monitor Sudan border

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United Nations has been urged to procure unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the disputed border area between Sudan and South Sudan. UN special envoy to South Sudan Hilde Johnson said UAVs could help help international peacekeepers monitor the Sudanese border. Ms. Johnson told the Security Council that UN and […]

Into the breach: UN peacekeepers mostly succeed in a dangerous game

Into the breach: UN peacekeepers mostly succeed in a dangerous game

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Peacekeeping is fraught with risk, but it is also filled with promise, stated UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. “Our Blue Helmets bring hope to millions of people in some of the most troubled parts of the world,” advised the Secretary General in a somber ceremony honoring fallen peacekeeping troops, […]

U.S.-Morocco crisis: Major exercise canceled over W. Sahara

Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Morocco and the United States have been plunged into a crisis that led to the cancellation of a major military exercise. Diplomats said Rabat and Washington underwent a sharp decline in diplomatic and military relations when the United States supported a Security Council effort to expand the authority of a […]

UN survey cites rise of the Global South

UN survey cites rise of the Global South

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — “The rise of the South is unprecedented in its speed and scale…when dozens of countries and billions of people move up the development ladder as they are doing today, it has a direct impact on wealth creation and broader human progress,” cites the glowing introduction to the UN Development […]