Evelyn Leopold

Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general once known as a diplomatic rockstar, is trying to start meaningful talks to end the brutality in Syria that has claimed at least 8,000 lives over the past year.

Chosen as an envoy by the United Nations and the Arab League, Annan...

The U.N. General Assembly told the Syrian government to stop shooting unarmed protestors and isolated its key supporter, Russia, in adopting a resolution that had at least 137 "yes "votes and only 12 against.

While the resolution, compared to one Russia and China vetoed in the Security...

Argentina's foreign minister wants the United Nations to mediate with Britain over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and accused London of militarizing the south Atlantic. "Rubbish," responded Britain's ambassador.

Just when you thought the world had enough problems, there was a bit of a time warp. Foreign Minister

Western nations and the Arab League dared Russia to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution on violence in Syria -- hours after a new bloodbath in the city of Homs. Moscow did just that.

In a Saturday emergency meeting, filled with recriminations and accusations in the usually-staid Council, the vote...

Western nations in the U.N. Security Council have two choices on Syria: soften the wording on their resolution that asks the Syrian president to delegate his "full authority" to his deputy or face a Russian-Chinese veto.

There was a lot of drama in the Council on Tuesday but...

Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier accused of being the Wikileaks source, was kept in solitary confinement for eight months in a Marine brig at Quantico, Virginia. He was subjected to 24-hour surveillance and was forced to relinquish his clothing before bedding down for the night, then made to...

This season's crop of Republican candidates scare me. They appear to be rushing headlong into the 1950s with a Cold War foreign policy and a notion of science that embraces any fossil fuel on the horizon. Most are more belligerent than many of their predecessors and openly toy with an...

Nujood Ali made world headlines in 2008 when she was granted a divorce in Yemen at the age of 10. She had been married a year to a man who beat and raped her. So she decided to go to a courthouse and speak to a judge. Her case prompted...

UNITED NATIONS - Arguing over a resolution on Syria, Russia and the United States indulged in barbs that resulted in a U.S. cartoon of the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" adorned with the face of the Vitaly Churkin, Russia's U.N. ambassador. View image

To begin: On December 22,...

Russia surprised U.N. Security council members by producing a draft resolution critical of the Syrian government in what appears to be an effort to put some distance between Moscow and the increasingly discredited Damascus government.

Or was this a tactical move that will not result in a vote...

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Syria since March, many of them unarmed civilians. Security forces have maimed and injured others and arrested thousands subject to torture. Human Rights Watch says at least 105 people have died in custody.

After months of unsuccessful attempts, European nations took the...

This post is an updated version of one published November 9.

The Palestinians are not expected to get the required nine votes in the UN Security Council they need for membership in the world body, regardless of whether the United States casts a veto or abstains, according to...

The Palestinians are not expected to get the required nine votes in the UN Security Council they need for membership in the world body, regardless of whether the United States casts a veto or abstains, according to diplomats polled by this reporter.

And there will not be a vote in...

UNITED NATIONS - After 16 rounds of marathon voting, Azerbaijan, a former Soviet Republic, won a seat on the U.N. Security Council, beginning in January. Its rival Slovenia withdrew from one of the most hotly contested races in several years.

The 15-member U.N. Security Council, whose decisions are mandatory, can...

Inspired by the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, demonstrators in Yemen shouted "You're next!" at President Ali Abdullah Saleh. At the same time, the U.N. Security Council also told Saleh it was time to go. But it backed a plan granting him immunity that inspired more protests.

Round and round they went. After a day of marathon voting for Security Council seats, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly still could not decide between Azerbaijan and Slovenia, putting off the 11th ballot until Monday.

Does it matter? Yes. The 15-member U.N. Security Council, whose decisions are mandatory, can be...

Shortly after the Justice Department announced that Iranians tried to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington, the United States briefed members of the U.N. Security Council and sent the indictment to all 193 nations in the world body.

No reason for the wide distribution of information was given. But...

Europeans called a vote on a resolution condemning Syria for its bloody crackdown on protestors that elicited vetoes from Russia and China. But in forcing the vote, the West was able to promote "stand-up-and be counted" positions on pro-democracy demonstrations in the Middle East.

The drama was...

The Palestinians were on a roll in the U.N. General Assembly when President Mahmoud Abbas waived a copy of the PLO's application for full-fledged membership in the world body. Delegates responded with a standing ovation.

Abbas' popularity has soared in the West Bank where crowds gathered in Ramallah to...

UNITED NATIONS - If a vote for full U.N. membership in the Security Council were held today, the Palestinians would not have the minimum support needed, thereby sparing the United States the onus of a veto. But either way, the action will fail and eventually the Palestinians will have to...