Global Geopolitics

Mário Soares, a Rebel with a Cause – Freedom

By an IPS Correspondent
Hardly a leader could reap so much respect, even from most relentless political rivals, both throughout his life and after his death on Jan 7 at the age of 92, like Portuguese Mário Soares.

Oceans, Tuberculosis and Killer Robots – the UN’s Diverse Agenda in 2017

By Lyndal Rowlands
UN member states hope to reach agreement on a diverse range of global issues in 2017, from managing the world’s oceans to banning killer robots to stopping tuberculosis, one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Trump, the Banks and the Bomb

By Baher Kamal
When pro-nuclear disarmament organisations last October cheered the United Nations decision to start in 2017 negotiations on a global treaty banning these weapons, they probably did not expect that shortly after the US would elect Republican businessman Donald Trump as their 45th president. Much less that he would rush to advocate for increasing the US nuclear power.

January Brings Changes for UN Security Council

By Andy Hazel and Lyndal Rowlands
Five of the UN Security Council's 15 seats were filled by new members this week, but a bigger shift in the council is expected later this month under the new US administration.

Ban Ki-moon’s Mixed Legacy as UN Secretary-General

By Lyndal Rowlands
Ban Ki-moon ended his ten years as UN Secretary-General at midnight on New Year’s Eve with his last official duty - dropping the ball at New York’s Times Square.

2017 — A Thunderous Clash of Politics, Economies and Policies

By Martin Khor
Yet another new year has dawned.   But 2017 will be a year like no other.

Arms Trade Treaty Falling Down in Yemen

By Lyndal Rowlands
Two years after the UN Arms Trade Treaty entered into force many of the governments which championed the treaty are failing to uphold it, especially when it comes to the conflict in Yemen.

Security Council Vote on Israeli Settlements Postponed Indefinitely

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
The UN Security Council has indefinitely postponed a vote on a draft resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

Outgoing UN Chief Yearns for Majority Rule in World Body

By Thalif Deen
As he packs his bags to head home to South Korea, the outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been sharply critical of the decision-making process in the world body – specifically the veto powers in the Security Council and the increasing “consensus” rule in voting – where a single country can defy the rest of the 192 members, particularly on politically and financially sensitive issues.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Heads for 50 Years of UN Failure

By Thalif Deen
Come 2017, the United Nations will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the world's longstanding unresolved political problems firmly entrenched on the UN agenda: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dating back to the Six Day War in June 1967.

Gambia May Not Join African Withdrawals from ICC

By Lindah Mogeni
The International Criminal Court (ICC) may have had a small reprieve this week from a string of African withdrawals, with Gambia’s newly elected President Adama Barrow telling various media outlets that there is no need for Gambia to leave the court.

Trump Needs Lessons in Geopolitics : Musharraf

By David White
US President-elect Donald Trump has shown he has much to learn about South Asia, Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview with IPS. But he counted on Trump having an open mind.

Fidel Castro, a Larger-than-Life Leader in Tumultuous Times

By Mario Osava
Among the many leaders who left their mark on history in the 20th century, Fidel Castro - who died Nov. 25 at the age of 90 - stood out for propelling Cuba into a global role that was unexpectedly prominent for a small country, in an era when arms were frequently taken up to settle national and international disputes.

The Cuban Revolution Has Lost Its Founder and Leader

By Patricia Grogg
Fidel Castro, who survived more than 600 assassination attempts and remained in power longer than any other leader in the history of Cuba, died Friday night at the age of 90.

A Cuban Economy Facing Grim Forecasts Awaits Impact of Trump

By Ivet González
Cuba’s economic difficulties will be aggravated by the uncertainty regarding how U.S. president-elect Donald Trump will deal with the thaw inherited from President Barack Obama.

Trump’s Threat on Multilateral Treaties Keeps UN Guessing

By Thalif Deen
At the height of the US Presidential campaign in early 2015, Republican nominee Donald Trump made a rash of public pronouncements -- some threatening internationally-agreed UN conventions-- which set off political reverberations throughout the United Nations.

Iran Deal Is Key Test of Trump’s Commitment to NATO Allies

By Eli Clifton and Jim Lobe
Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton threatens to mainstream the Islamophobia, misogyny, racism, and anti-Semitism that swirled around his candidacy and supporters. On the foreign policy front his comments were no less shocking. But the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump hasn’t discussed in any depth beyond his promise at AIPAC’s March conference that his “number-one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran,” may stand as an early litmus test for his relationship with NATO allies.

Nicaragua’s Elections Marked by Apathy and Mistrust

By José Adán Silva
In the midst of unusual political tension and apathy, Nicaraguans will go to the polls on Sunday Nov. 6 to vote in elections marked by the absence of the main opposition force and international election observers.

Gorbachev Appeals for Sanity, Dialogue

By John Scales Avery
President Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet Union and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, has appealed to world leaders to reduce the dangerous tensions, which today threaten to plunge human civilization and the biosphere into an all-destroying nuclear war.

UN Cuba Embargo Vote: United States Abstains for First Time

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
After 25 years of voting against a United Nations resolution condemning the United States (U.S.) embargo on Cuba, the U.S. Wednesday chose for the first time to abstain from voting. An overwhelming 191 UN member states voted for the resolution, with only Israel joining the United States in abstention.

UN Security Council’s “Perilous Interventions” in War Zones

By Thalif Deen
When the UN Security Council last week discussed the “deliberate” attacks on medical facilities in war-ravaged Syria and Yemen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon implicitly criticized some of the warring nations lamenting that “even a slaughterhouse is more humane” than the ongoing indiscriminate killings of civilians in the two devastating conflicts.
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