Now that world leaders have left New York, the U.N. General Assembly’s real work begins. Here is a guide to what to watch out for during a potentially dramatic season for multilateral diplomacy. Christopher Klein The recent headlines from the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week flowed steadily, and rightly…

Samantha Libraty Acknowledging former Governor Bill Richardson’s passing earlier this month after a long and effective career in the field of hostage negotiations (and releases) on behalf of U.S. prisoners and their families detained abroad There is a striking rise in the taking of U.S. prisoners abroad — or what…

Yanliang Pan On the western shore of Lake Balkhash, some 200 miles from the old Kazakh capital of Almaty, lies the village of Ulken, a semi-deserted settlement with little infrastructure apart from a school and a bulky electrical substation next to a cluster of Soviet apartment blocks. …

Joshua Mayfield Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023 has affected food security throughout the developing world. Ukraine is an important producer of grain and wheat, and it exports agricultural commodities to countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. Russia is a key global fertilizer producer…

ISD’s latest working group analyzed strategic surprises emerging from the Russia-Ukraine War. Ultimately, they found a changing world order, defined by new loci of power, and one that will require a renewed diplomatic strategy. — ISD’s latest Global Commons and Schlesinger Strategic Surprise Working Group explored trends emerging from the Russia-Ukraine War that will have global ramifications regardless of the war’s outcome. Working group members found that many of those trends add up to a world defined by the rising agency of “middle powers” and…

Russia’s rhetoric and action toward Africa are misaligned, limiting its influence on the continent. Yet, to take advantage of this situation, Western powers ought to reconsider their own engagement strategies. — Mikael Pir-Budagyan Held during the last week of July 2023, the second Russia-Africa Summit resulted in a range of deals from debt forgiveness to bilateral energy agreements. However, there was little breakthrough in the broader landscape of Russia-Africa relations, demonstrating the Kremlin’s futile attempts to spread its influence across the…

To protect U.S. and allied interests in the Indo-Pacific, the Biden administration needs to supplement diplomatic talks with tangible action. — Alison O’Neil Summer 2023 has seen a flurry of activity in U.S.-China diplomacy. Despite the polite rhetoric that characterized both visits, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen’s trips in June and July, respectively, reveal tensions that diplomacy alone cannot address. It would seem that…

A prime example of the UN’s efficacy and a call for a multi-sector, multilateral approach to diplomacy in conflict zones — Katherine Wells On May 30, the Boskalis Salvage Vessel Ndeavor arrived at the site of the FSO Safer in Yemen to undertake a uniquely delicate operation: siphoning off 1.1 million barrels of oil from the FSO Safer and replacing the decaying supertanker. It is set to start this week. Left…

Miles Pomper China’s growing military might has raised alarm bells in Washington and led to close encounters with U.S. military ships and planes over contested territories in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits. Top U.S. officials have sought to bolster communication to prevent crises and calm relations and…