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The Year Non-Western Powers Rewrote the Rules at the United Nations

The Year Non-Western Powers Rewrote the Rules at the United Nations
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad watch troops marching at the Hemeimeem air base, Syria, Dec. 11, 2017 (Kremlin pool photo via AP).

One year ago, the United Nations appeared to be poised between a moment of renewal and a total meltdown.

An energetic new secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, promised to revitalize the organization after a decade of drift under Ban Ki-moon. The former Portuguese prime minister talked about a “surge of diplomacy” and the need to prevent looming conflicts.

Listen to Richard Gowan discuss this article on WPR’s Trend Lines Podcast. His audio starts at 29:32:

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