While Islamist insurgents around the world are inspired by the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the question of whether and how they will benefit as a result is more complicated, as Crisis Group experts explain in this 360-degree view.
At the advent of President Joe Biden’s tenure, the U.S. confronts numerous foreign policy problems old and new. His administration should discard failed approaches, such as over-reliance on coercion, as it works to craft policies in service of a more peaceful world.
In October, the Women, Peace and Security principles enumerated in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 turned twenty. But the aims remain largely unachieved. Governments and the UN should stop using this agenda for counter-terrorism work and listen better to what women activists say they need.
The Trump administration continues its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, now with an attempt to restore pre-2015 UN sanctions, a right reserved for signatories to the nuclear deal it abandoned. Other UN Security Council members should disregard this gambit and urge Tehran not to overreact.
Deadly and disruptive as it already is, and terribly as it could yet worsen and spread, the 2020 coronavirus outbreak could also have political effects that last long after the contagion is contained. Crisis Group identifies seven points of particular concern.
The African Union is best positioned to send peacekeepers to the continent’s various war zones. But it often lacks the funds available to the UN’s blue helmets. A compromise over co-financing peacekeeping missions would serve the conflict prevention goals of both institutions.
As Josep Borrell steps into his role as the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Crisis Group highlights seven countries where European leadership can combine political, financial and technical resources to rebuild and sustain peace and stability.
China and Russia are arguing for a pragmatic approach in dealing with Taliban [in Afghanistan]. For them, regional security interests come first.
At the end of the day, the Chinese and Russians aren’t going to sacrifice their relations with the Taliban on the altar of Western states’ concerns about human rights in Afghanistan.
Frankly, there’s a degree of exhaustion with this administration (the Trump Administration) in the Security Council.
There's a very high level of concern that [COVID-19]'s economic impact is going to spark more disorder, more conflict.
The UN Security Council has lost some credibility as the weeks have gone by, mainly thanks to U.S. obstructionism.
Covid-19 has laid bare the costs of confronting a global crisis with a flawed international system. The only worse outcome would be to confront the next crisis with no system at all.
Every year Crisis Group publishes two additional Watch List updates that complement its annual Watch List for the EU, most recently published in January 2021. These publications identify major crises and conflict situations where the European Union and its member states can generate stronger prospects for peace. The Autumn Update of the Watch List 2021 includes entries on Afghanistan, Burundi, Iran, Nagorno-Karabakh and Nicaragua.
Originally published in World Politics Review
Online event to discuss International Crisis Group's recent briefing -> Ten Challenges for the UN in 2021-2022
The administration hasn’t shown much desire to work with the U.N. on recent crises, but Biden can use Covid-19 and climate change to make his case to the doubters.
Originally published in Politico
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