U.N. Peacemakers Wind Up Tough Year With a Flurry of Progress

The United Nations should be pleased by recent progress in three of its hardest conflict-resolution efforts. It’s not yet time for a victory lap in Yemen, Syria and Libya: All three conflicts continue to rage on the ground, and the prospect of international peacekeepers enforcing a negotiated settlement remains distant at best. But peacekeeping is always the final stage of a lengthy diplomatic process, and some deeper appreciation for the work of the U.N.’s high-level diplomats in defining a process for resolving the three conflicts, among the world’s nastiest, is warranted.

In quick succession in the final weeks of the year, progress was made in the political dynamics of these conflicts, reflecting the different ways the U.N. works to nudge armed adversaries toward peaceful political transitions. ...