"The world is simply too large and too complex to control," writes Richard Haass, and the challenges facing it can only be handled through collective effort.

CFR's Michael Levi says the Copenhagen climate deal is a meaningful step forward but that its ultimate value remains to be determined.

Michael Levi declares that "The UN process can no longer be the central focus of global efforts to confront climate change."

Leslie Gelb writes that the climate change conference in Copenhagen was a sign of what international diplomacy is going to look like over the next decade.

This accord is the outcome of the the UN climate change conference held in Copenhagen from December 7-18, 2009. It is not a legally binding treaty. Among its points: attempting to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.

Experts and policymakers place the climate change negotiations at Copenhagen within a global context.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, Countdown to Copenhagen: What's Next for Climate Change?, which was made possible through generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Alcoa Foundation, and the Robina Foundation.

The annual rotation of non-permanent members to the UN Security Council this year is likely to present difficulties for U.S. interests, including containing nuclear proliferation, writes CFR's Kara C. McDonald.

Peter Galbraith exposes his side of the Afghan electoral fraud story, and comments on his perceptions of the real reasons behind his termination from the post of UN deputy special representative in Afghanistan last week.

The United Nations Environment Programme collected and organized peer-reviewed research and findings on earth systems and climate into a one report, with specific topical sections likes oceans, ice, and systems management.

Listen to Ray Takeyh, CFR's senior fellow for middle eastern studies, and James Lindsay, CFR's director of studies, discuss nuclear proliferation and Iran's nuclear program in advance of high-level talks at the United Nations.

Surveys during the past decade show consistent support among Americans for the UN's role in the world order but also worry about its dysfunctions. CFR's Stewart Patrick says President Barack Obama should echo these sentiments in his UN address.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations will actually be aimed towards improving his reputation in the Muslim community as a "Third World hero," writes Mohamad Bazzi.

Charlie Savage examines the Obama administration's decision to disregard a statute that forbids State Department officials from attending UN meetings led by nations sponsoring terrorism.

CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi and CFR.org Editor Robert McMahon discuss the deadlock in global climate negotiations and the upcoming UN Copenhagen Summit in December 2009.