Richard Gowan

When the U.N. sends peacekeepers to war zones, there are often excessive expectations about what they can achieve. By contrast, pessimism surrounds the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria. It’s rare for U.N. officials to emphasize that a new operation is likely to fail. Why are they doing so in the Syrian case? The answer may be that UNSMIS marks a deeply troubling turning point in U.N. peacekeeping.
more

After months of aggressive debates over the Middle East, the U.N. Security Council is starting to calm down. Last week the council released a statement supporting Kofi Annan’s peace plan for Syria, signaling the change of mood. The contrast with the tone at the U.N. in February, after the Chinese and Russians vetoed a resolution effectively calling for a change of leadership in Damascus, is startling. more

When United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon selected his predecessor, Kofi Annan, last week as his envoy to mediate the crisis in Syria, most observers thought it was an obvious choice. But Ban’s decision represents a twist in a sometimes complex relationship between the two men -- and a high-stakes attempt to maintain the U.N.’s role in the Middle East, where it has been active since the 1940s. more

Russia is trying to look tough at the U.N. Security Council this week, promising to veto a resolution that calls for a political transition in Syria to end the violence there. This is a new phase in Moscow’s efforts to defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Yet while Russia can use its veto power to paralyze the council, the diplomatic battle over Syria has highlighted its weakness in global affairs. more

This Thursday, the U.N. Security Council will hold a special session on preventive diplomacy -- the art of averting imminent wars, coups and massacres. The event will be attended by heads of state and foreign ministers who will certainly be distracted by the Palestinian drive for recognition as a state. Nevertheless, even if Thursday's debate turns out to be turgid, the subject matter is worth taking seriously. more

Although the Haitian and Libyan crises were very different, both episodes highlighted a fundamental challenge to the European Union in the humanitarian sphere. The union's members and the European Commission have played a central role in building the international humanitarian system. Yet while a key tenet of humanitarian assistance is that it should be apolitical, the EU is not a politically neutral entity like the U.N. Refugee Agency. more

This week, Alain Le Roy, U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, announced that he will stand down in August. Known for his healthy distaste for the U.N.'s bureaucratic politics, the former French diplomat will have served for three years. Over that time, he has helped navigate U.N. operations through tough times, from a disaster in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to an unlikely success in Côte d'Ivoire. more

In the past six months, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has found his attention roaming from one trouble spot to another, with the U.N. having played a central role in major crises in both Côte d'Ivoire and Libya. But although put to the test in both crises, Ban's reputation -- as well as that of the U.N. -- may ultimately hinge on the outcomes in two other trouble spots: South Sudan and the Palestinian territories. more

A negotiated settlement in Libya is looking increasingly necessary, if only because a military solution to the crisis is unlikely: The rebels probably cannot win on the battlefield, and Moammar Gadhafi cannot be allowed to do so. A stalemate requiring a continuing and expensive Western commitment to the no-fly zone is also unappealing. That raises the question: What sort of settlement is possible? more

Who is ready to talk to Moammar Gadhafi? Last week, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela announced that his Libyan counterpart would accept an international "Committee of Peace" to end the rebellion that threatens to destroy him. Rebel leaders in Benghazi dismissed the proposal. Yet there is a good chance that outside mediators will eventually play a part in ending the Libyan civil war. more

U.N. experts who argue that the Security Council's credibility rests on its appeal to big players in the global system were comforted by Germany, India and South Africa's successful campaigns for two-year seats on the council last year. But some poor, weak governments have decided to defy it, with a series of African leaders, in particular, showing contempt for the council's authority. more

A crisis is in the making in South Sudan, which is slated to hold a referendum on independence on Jan. 9. Unless the poll is delayed or rigged, it will almost certainly result in a vote for independence, and the resulting tensions could tip into major violence. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has raised his game in the handling of the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire. But he will need to raise it even more in South Sudan. more

President Barack Obama won fans in New Delhi last week with his call for India to take a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. But his declaration contained an implicit challenge. Can India capture a permanent seat on the council simply because of its growing economic and military clout? Or should India invest more in terms of strengthening the U.N. to show that it deserves its seat on the council? more

Diplomacy at the United Nations Security Council is a two-tier business, with the permanent members frequently fixing deals on issues like Iran behind closed doors. That may be a little harder for them to do in 2011, though. Next year's council will feature far more big powers as non-permanent members than in recent years, at a moment when the G-20's future as a global forum is very much in question. more

International officials like talking about conflict prevention, but they are uncomfortable talking about how conflicts actually work. Instead, they talk about how greed and natural resources fuel violence, reducing rapacious governments and marauding rebels to rational economic actors. Left unexamined are the questions of how and why politicians decide whether or not to stir up or harness popular angst. more

Over the last decade, the Security Council has mandated a series of increasingly ambitious peace operations. The U.N. now commands just more than 100,000 troops and police worldwide. Yet as its operational reach has grown, it has found itself trapped in situations in which it has been forced to sacrifice principles for the sake of political pragmatism, and to support a range of undemocratic and unpleasant regimes. more