UNITED NATIONS -- The president of the U.N. General Assembly decided to hold an all day debate on whether international justice promoted reconciliation. But his real purpose was to undermine a war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia because of a perceived bias towards Serbs.

The longest address of...

After years of efforts to curb the $70 billion conventional arms trade, a global treaty was blocked by Iran, North Korea and Syria. But the measure is expected to go to the U.N. General Assembly where it may be resurrected.

"This is a disappointing result," said Australian Ambassador

With seven out of 10 women a target of sexual abuse, one would think it would be simple to adopt a program to combat violence. In the end a U.N. conference did that despite incendiary objections from the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Yes, we did it," said Michelle...

Risking China's displeasure, North Korea threatened further nuclear action in response to a U.N. sanctions resolution that Beijing helped write.

North Korea's nuclear test in February, its third, was the first under its young leader, Kim Jong Un, whose government immediately threatened a nuclear strike against...

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council, including China, condemned North Korea's third nuclear test and said it was considering an "appropriate" response. But Beijing, the closest ally of Pyongyang, is expected to be cautious in imposing tough measures.

Sanctions, adopted in 2006 and 2009, appear to...

UNITED NATIONS -- Palestine had no problem getting an upgraded status at the United Nations, isolating Israel and the United States and giving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the boost in stature he so badly needed.

Baffling is why the United States and Israel fought the move, instead of joining the...

A rebel militia captured Goma, the main city in resource-rich Eastern Congo, with little resistance from the Congolese army or U.N. peacekeepers. Reports indicate the M23 rebels are pillaging and raping as scores of people flee from their homes.

U.N. Security Council members unanimously adopted a resolution (see...

The Palestinians can easily win a vote upgrading their status at the United Nations to a "non-member observer state" but they may pay a steep price for it from Israel and America.

And now, in the real world, with rockets and drones flying in an out of Gaza, some...

If the popular vote in the 2012 election is down in New York City, you can blame it on the new voting machines -- and , of course, on the devastation caused by Sandy.

My own experience at a polling place on West 65th Street near Central Park West was...

Situated adjacent to the East River, the landmark United Nations skyscraper got its share of Sandy's rising waters, knocking out communications that have only been partially restored.

At the same time, a walk through what is called 3B (third basement) showed a remarkable clean-up, with little water remaining on the...

Australia, Argentina, Luxembourg, South Korea... and Rwanda won seats on the UN Security Council for a two-year term. Rwanda provided the drama because its election came after charges it was stoking a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Despite a litany of complaints about the 15-nation Security...

Timbuktu conjures up images of remote parts of the earth and fabled ancient monuments. Now radical Islamic groups, with ties to al Qaeda, have taken over the north in Mali, destroying monuments and torturing civilians in a brutal interpretation of Sharia law.

France, the former colonial power of Mali, in...

The good news is that Tanzania, helped by Bloomberg Philanthropies, has launched an innovative program to prevent mothers from dying in child birth. The bad news is that 23 women still die every day from birth-related complications.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the east African country's project of building clinics...

In a polished presentation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a "red line" on a primitive diagram of a bomb -- arguing that Iran by next spring or early summer would be close to producing a nuclear weapon.

No doubt Netanyahu's drawing will go viral on the Internet...

The presidents of Brazil and Argentina, both women, woke up any drowsy General Assembly delegate, passionately arguing their country's policy from economics to Syria to Cuba to Iran.

But President Obama grabbed the attention, not because he broke new ground but because he is... well... Obama, who knows how...

The civil war in Syria and its 26,000 dead are dominating this week's U.N. General Assembly session but no solution is expected to emerge. The same goes for the Islamic uprisings against the United States and Iran's nuclear program.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Algerian foreign minister who has a history...

UNITED NATIONS - How long will it take for President Bashir al Assad's Damascus government to change, teeter or fall, which it surely will? And how long will it take for the country to be put together again? The longer the carnage continues, the harder it will be for the...

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