The retiring chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), says Washington needs to be tough on reforming the United Nations. He also urges the new Democratic majority in Congress to embrace a more bipartisan foreign policy.

In this report Amnesty International says that the presence of an African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (AMIS) since 2004 has failed to stop the mass killings, rapes and forcible displacement of civilians in the region. Amnesty says that despite the presence already in Sudan of 10,000 UN peacekeepers, whose mandate was extended to include Darfur by the UN Security Council in August 2006, the Darfur region is now so insecure that one third of those affected are inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. Amnesty International’s agenda for effective protection of civilians sets out a 16-point programme that should be implemented by any peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Despite a spotty record of effectiveness, Western states continue to promote UN sanctions in cases ranging from North Korea to Iran. But the UN Security Council is more divided than ever about implementing these coercive measures.

Paul Kennedy, Stephen Schlesinger, and James Traub discuss the past, present, and future of the United Nations.

Listen to experts discuss the past, present, and future of the United Nations.

Watch experts discuss the past, present, and future of the United Nations.

Nick Cohen writes in the Guardian about how regimes or movements that commit crimes against humanity can get away with genocide despite the UN's committement of preventing and punishing such actions.

The unusually public competition for secretary-general of the United Nations has narrowed to frontrunner Ban Ki-Moon, South Korea’s minister of foreign affairs and trade. But the debate continues over the role of the world’s top diplomat.

United Nations Undersecretary-General Shashi Tharoor presents his vision for a more effective United Nations, discusses successes and failures of the organization, and explains why he should be the next secretary-general.

Listen to Shashi Tharoor, the UN undersecretary general for communications and public information, discuss his candidacy for UN Secretary General.

Watch Shashi Tharoor, the UN undersecretary general for communications and public information, discuss his candidacy for UN secretary general.

While at the center of global collective security efforts, the UN Security Council faces criticism seemingly from all sides for its structure and performance. Joshua Muravchik of the American Enterprise Institute and Lee Feinstein of the Council on Foreign Relation debate the Security Council's effectiveness.

Defiance from Iran and Sudan. Anti-Bush rhetoric from the Venezuelan and Bolivian leaders. Such was the tone of the UN General Assembly's opening session. Beyond mere words, though, is a genuine concern about waning U.S. influence at a time of crucial talks on nuclear proliferation and peacekeeping.

Sudan continues to refuse a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. As pressure to act mounts, the international community faces a question: Does its “responsibility to protect” trump Sudan’s national sovereignty?