Diplomacy and International Institutions | Council on Foreign Relations

Ukraine

How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?

Nine charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow September 27, 2024
Iran

Iran’s President Signaled Interest in Engagement at the UN. Does It Matter?

Masoud Pezeshkian’s UN speech and meetings generated interest on Iran’s potential return to a nuclear deal, but there is little chance of softening Iranian diplomacy on conflicts with Israel.

Expert Brief by Ray Takeyh September 25, 2024 Middle East Program
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The United Nations General Assembly Votes to Remove Jews from Jerusalem's Old City

The most recent UN General Assembly resolution on Israel and the Palestinians is a radical strike at Israel and would push Jews out of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams September 19, 2024 Pressure Points

Experts in this Topic

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Distinguished Fellow, Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and Director of the CFR RealEcon Initiative

Jonathan E. Hillman

Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics

Ed Husain

Senior Fellow

Kenneth I. Juster

Distinguished Fellow

Shuxian Luo

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Inu Manak

Fellow for Trade Policy

United Nations

What Is the UN General Assembly?

The General Assembly hosts a much-watched debate of world leaders annually. Its 2024 meeting is expected to emphasize climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors September 19, 2024
Diplomacy and International Institutions

UN Meets in Tense Times, Pager Explosions Rattle Hezbollah, Biden’s Last Quad Summit, and More

The UN General Assembly begins its seventy-ninth high-level debate amid questions about its limited role in resolving major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; fears of a wider regional war grow as Hezbollah vows retaliation against Israel after thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon; U.S. President Joe Biden hosts the leaders of the Quad in Wilmington, Delaware, to strengthen coordination in the Indo-Pacific region; and Russia seeks to add 180,000 troops to its army.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins September 19, 2024 The World Next Week
Global

What Are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

The United Nations’ ambitious development agenda aims to protect people and the planet via seventeen goals. But experts say governments aren’t doing enough to implement them.

Backgrounder by Clara Fong and Diana Roy September 18, 2024

Palestinian Territories

Plagues, War Criminals, and Palestinian Authority Views of the United States

Palestinian Authority officials have recently called President Biden a "war criminal" and the United States a "plague." Should U.S. assistance continue to pay for such insults?

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams September 10, 2024 Pressure Points
United Nations

The UN Security Council

The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining international peace and security, but it faces steady calls for reform to better meet twenty-first-century challenges.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors September 9, 2024
United Nations

The Role of the UN Secretary-General

The United Nations’ top leadership position has broad authority to steer the organization’s agenda, but its impact has varied widely since 1946.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors August 29, 2024
Grand Strategy

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Multipolar Pluralism, With Stephen Heintz

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Stephen Heintz August 20, 2024 The President’s Inbox
Foreign Aid

The United States Was Just Called a "Plague" by Mahmoud Abbas. Now what?

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas just told the Turkish parliament that "America is the plague, and the plague is America." Will the United States tolerate such attacks?

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 16, 2024 Pressure Points
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Pre-SADC Crackdown

As SADC leaders gather in Harare for their annual summit, Zimbabwe’s government rounds up perceived “enemies of the state.”

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin August 13, 2024 Africa in Transition
Grand Strategy

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Realism, With Charles A. Kupchan

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Charles A. Kupchan July 30, 2024 The President’s Inbox
Israel

Injustice, Israel, and the "International Court of Justice"

The ICJ's "advisory opinion" on Israeli "settlements" in Jerusalem and the West Bank is an injustice that gives evidence of considerable bias against the Jewish State.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams July 20, 2024 Pressure Points
West Africa

An Opportunity to Reimagine ECOWAS

The split between ECOWAS and the mutinous AES states may be just what the regional body needed.

Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare July 15, 2024 Africa in Transition