Going nowhere slowly at the UN General Assembly’s annual debate

by ElectTheCouncil | 29 Sep 2023 | United Nations Security Council

The general debate at the recent United Nations General Assembly’s 78th session concluded in much the same way as the many that preceded it – with significant global attention that trailed off shortly after it began. The annual gathering is the preeminent multilateral...

BRICS+ and the tricky business of balancing global geopolitics

by ElectTheCouncil | 30 Aug 2023 | United Nations Security Council

The words of 13th century Persian poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, ‘As you start to walk the way, the way appears,’ certainly found new resonance in Johannesburg last week at the 15th BRICS Summit. Apart from expanding the diplomatic club to include Iran, Argentina,...

BRICS+ and the future of the US dollar

by ElectTheCouncil | 25 Aug 2023 | Non-permanent UNSC members, United Nations Security Council

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and intensified United States (US)–China competition have had two important geostrategic consequences. They have blown new life into the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and accelerated expansion of the...

Russia’s war in Ukraine revives calls for Security Council expansion

by ElectTheCouncil | 4 Oct 2022 | Legitimise the UNSC, Non-permanent UNSC members, Permanent 5, United Nations Security Council, UNSC Reform

Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has revived the perennial debate about the need to reform the United Nations (UN) Security Council, including permanent representation for Africa. But has the conflict also increased the likelihood of change? The council was...

Africa has a rare chance to shape the international order

by ElectTheCouncil | 30 Aug 2022 | United Nations Security Council

Africa’s growing strategic value to global powers has been reinforced by international tensions and economic volatility spurred on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 fallout. African states have long featured prominently in the foreign policy calculus of...

Zelensky’s adapt or die message should spur Security Council reform

by ElectTheCouncil | 14 Apr 2022 | Non-permanent UNSC members, Permanent 5, United Nations Security Council

When Ukraine’s bold President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to question its own purpose, he put the spotlight on a thorny geopolitical issue that stands in the way of international peace and security. The UN has been impotent over...