Multilateral Diplomacy

The UN Secretary-General has drafted a lengthy report about how world leaders can address looming global challenges. The document covers a remarkable range of topics, from peacekeeping missions and women’s rights to climate change and cyber-security.

Talk of reforming the UN Security Council is gaining currency, due in part to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But the obstacles are many. A more modest vision of what the body should be and what it can achieve is probably best for now.

At Bamako’s request, the UN Security Council has begun drawing down the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Richard Gowan and Daniel Forti explore the implications for blue helmet missions elsewhere on the continent.

On 19 May, when G7 leaders gather in Japan, Russia’s war in Ukraine will be high on their agenda, as will China’s posture in the Asia Pacific. But several other pressing matters need their attention as well. 

The eight-member body heading Yemen’s internationally recognised government lacks a common vision for the country’s future. With Saudi Arabia looking to exit the Yemeni war, and negotiations with the Huthi rebels on the horizon, now is the time for the council to fix its problems.

Major gas finds in the eastern Mediterranean seabed over the last ten years have fuelled ambitions to link the region’s energy markets and, in turn, bring its countries in conflict to the negotiating table. These great expectations have proven outsized, but smaller-scale objectives are achievable.

On 10 March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations as part of a Chinese-sponsored initiative that appears aimed at reducing tensions across the Middle East. Crisis Group experts offer a 360-degree view of the implications for the region’s many flashpoints.

In this video, UN Director Richard Gowan talks about what goes on behind the scenes of Crisis Group's advocacy work at the United Nations in New York.

Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine has prompted discussion of how to hold top Kremlin officials accountable for this flagrant violation of international law. In this Q&A, Crisis Group examines the pros and cons of three main options that have been broached to date.

The following is adapted from a March 2023 report by Crisis Group’s President and CEO Comfort Ero to the organisation’s Trustees (before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s 20-21 March visit to Moscow). She looks at the Ukraine war and its knock-on effects – from big-power polarisation to middle-power activism and disquiet outside the West about the conflict.

On 10 March, prodded by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations within two months, after seven years of severed ties. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Dina Esfandiary and Anna Jacobs look at the emerging rapprochement.

In UN debates over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Western countries are still pledging to back Kyiv militarily, while non-Western states are more inclined to call for a negotiated peace. Thus far, however, the latter’s proposals for reaching that goal have been short on detail.

This week on The Horn, Alan is joined by Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Crisis Group’s senior adviser to the African Union (AU), to discuss the 2023 AU Summit and the challenges and opportunities facing the continental union amid shifting geopolitics.

The African Union has more than a full plate of peace and security issues before it in the coming year. This briefing highlights eight conflict situations where its efforts can be of greatest help.

Crisis Group’s Watch List identifies ten countries or regions at risk of deadly conflict or escalation thereof in 2023. In these places, early action, driven or supported by the EU and its member states, could enhance prospects for peace and stability.

The UN General Assembly has been a notable barometer of international opinion about Russia’s war in Ukraine since it began. With the one-year marker approaching, Kyiv can secure a diplomatic victory in New York with a resolution that affirms principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

What conflicts is Crisis Group particularly worried about in 2023? This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood is joined by Crisis Group’s President & CEO Comfort Ero and Chief of Policy Stephen Pomper, to talk about our annual flagship publication “10 Conflicts to Watch”.