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Articles by Alan Doss
Can Gaza Become Stable? The Prospects and Perplexities
As the United States seeks the endorsement of the United Nations Security Council for the Trump administration’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the failure of stabilization endeavors in such countries as Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo should be a cautionary reminder of the hazards of international intervention. An alternative draft text, introduced by Russia on Nov.
Building a Vision for the Future From the Tunnels of the Past
The American war in Vietnam ended in 1975, nearly half a century ago. Its scars may have faded but they have not disappeared. They are potent reminders of the limits of military power to impose a political peace. I recalled this truth when I recently visited the vast network of tunnels built by the Vietcong near Ho Chi Minh City (then named Saigon) during the Vietnam War.
Kenyan Court Temporarily Blocks UN-Backed Plan to Send Kenyan Police to Haiti
A high court in Kenya has temporarily blocked the United Nations Security Council-backed Multinational Security Support mission from going to Haiti. "That a conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from deploying police officers to Haiti or any other country until October 24, 2023," the court paper, released on Oct. 9 and seen by PassBlue, reads in part.
Week Ending Oct. 6
Welcome to This Week @UN, where we summarize the most important news emanating from the organization as well as promote our own articles that you may have missed, focusing on Haiti, Armenia/Azerbaijan, Cambodia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. We also report on a survey revealing how people in 30 diverse countries feel about democracies vs. authoritarian rule.
As the Presidential Election Approaches, Expect Worse Relations Between the Congo and the UN
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Mark Twain once said: "History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme." Twain's aphorism certainly applies to the United Nations' relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been characterized by periodic episodes of contention and crisis. Those relations are again in disrepair echoing crises from the past. As presidential elections approach in December, the prospects portend more fraught dynamics with the country and the UN. On Sept.
By Alan Doss, Louise T. Blais, Joseph Chamie, Damilola Banjo Verified, Dawn Clancy, Dulcie Leimbach Verified
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Russia's Bid to Rejoin the Human Rights Council Draws Heaps of Scorn
Despite its status as an international pariah over its invasion of Ukraine and strong opposition from dozens of countries at the United Nations, Russia is seeking to reclaim a seat on the Human Rights Council in an election slated for October. Russia was suspended from the body in April 2022, in the middle of its three-year term, by a vote in the General Assembly amid mounting accusations of war crimes.
UN Reform? Think 'Alice in Wonderland'
Parachuting into the frenzy of Manhattan's East Side last week exposed the usual traffic snarls and not-so diplomatic cacophony about the United Nations. The noise included hackneyed pleas to alter the Security Council, often mixed with calls to draft a new Charter. Yet with current toxic politics, reform is a nonstarter.
Russia's Lavrov Loves to Blame the West; Why Estonia Wants a Special Court to Try Putin
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used his speech on Saturday, toward the end of the United Nations General Assembly's annual debate, to recite many of the Kremlin's favorite propaganda talking points. He blamed international problems on the "global West" and called for reforming the UN in favor of what Russia, its allies and many other countries say needs fairer representation.
UN Sends Mixed Signals on Niger, Which Is Unlikely to Speak at the General Assembly
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The United Nations Secretariat has received requests from both the ousted government of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held hostage in Niger's capital Niamey by the country's military since it staged a coup d'état on July 26, 2023, and from the coup-led regime of Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, to allow their respective representatives to speak at the world leaders' annual gathering of the UN General Assembly. It ends on Sept. 26.
By Dulcie Leimbach Verified, Damilola Banjo Verified, Alan Doss, Navi Pillay, Marta Santos Pais, Joseph Chamie
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Week Ending Feb. 24
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You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, we look at the humanitarian crises in Ukraine and another peacekeeping tragedy in Mali. We're incredibly proud of our coverage of events held this week at the UN to commemorate Russia's war on Ukraine.
By Damilola Banjo Verified, Dawn Clancy, Natalie Samarasinghe, Alan Doss, Kourosh Ziabari, Dulcie Leimbach Verified
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Countries Resoundingly Demand Russia's Withdrawal From Ukraine in the War's 1-Year Mark
On the eve of the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale brutal war in Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution demanding that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally" withdraw its military forces from Ukraine; called for a "cessation in hostilities" and stressed the urgent need to reach a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" that adheres to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
Week Ending Feb. 17
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This week, we focus on the rising humanitarian crises in the world as the situation in Türkiye and Syria deepens. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, we look at the enormous appeals by the UN for financial aid amid the crippling humanitarian needs across the world.
By Damilola Banjo Verified, Kourosh Ziabari, Dulcie Leimbach Verified, Alan Doss, Joe Penney Verified
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Sierra Leone and Liberia Have Escaped the Conflict Trap
Last year was tough for United Nations peacekeeping operations, especially in Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, local people demonstrated angrily against the perceived inability of peacekeepers to protect civilians in the east of the country. In Mali, the junta government became increasingly hostile to the peacekeeping presence.
UN Members to Mark the 1-Year Anniversary of Russia's War on Ukraine
As the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is fast approaching, a draft resolution is circulating among the United Nations' 193 countries emphasizing the need for a "just and lasting peace" for Ukraine, while Western diplomats are shooting for as many positive votes as possible in the General Assembly next week, when it votes on the resolution and marks Russia's yearlong destruction against its neighbor. The vote is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Feb.
She Was a Prisoner of War in Russia, Beaten Brutally. Now She's Home, Recovering.
Since the start of the full-fledged war in Ukraine in February, Russian forces have abducted hundreds of Ukrainians and placed them in the Russian incarceration system. Many of the people that have been seized are civilians, including children. Viktoria Andrusha, a 26-year-old math teacher from Brovary, in the Kyiv oblast, was one of the Ukrainians unwillingly taken to Russia.
Week Ending Nov. 25
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This week, we focus on climate commitments made at the just-concluded COP27 as well as the UN Environment Program honoring activists. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres re-emphasized the agreement at COP27 and his deputy traveled to her home country.
By Dulcie Leimbach Verified, tapio Kanninen, Heikki Talvitie, Kourosh Ziabari, Damilola Banjo Verified, Alan Doss
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Week Ending Nov. 18
It's a sad one this week as two girls were beheaded in a camp in Syria. You are reading This Week @UN , summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, we looked at the terrible news coming out of Syria but also took respite in the relief in Ethiopia as the UN delivers vital humanitarian materials to the troubled regions in the country.
The UN Ignores Repeated Calls to Investigate Killings in Nigeria's Kaduna State
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LAGOS - The United Nations is ignoring repeated calls for help in resolving a resource war between largely Christian farmers and mainly Muslim herders in Kaduna, a state in northwest Nigeria. The conflict has been smoldering since 2011 and now, fanned by climate change, threatens to burst into flame. Violence in northwestern Nigeria killed more than 8,000 people between 2011 and 2020 and displaced more than 200,000 others, according to figures compiled by the International Crisis Group.
By Dulcie Leimbach Verified, tapio Kanninen, Heikki Talvitie, Kourosh Ziabari, Damilola Banjo Verified, Alan Doss
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At COP27, Russia Shows Up With Oil Lobbyists and Demands Sanctions Relief
Russia's war in Ukraine is casting a long shadow on the debates and negotiations at the United Nations climate change conference, known as COP27, happening now in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Russia has been using its participation at the forum to leverage its commitments on reducing carbon emission in exchange for Western sanctions relief imposed after its invasion of Ukraine this year.
Politics, Peacekeeping and the Fault Lines of Protection
In September, the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda took their allegations against each other over the resurgence of conflict in the eastern Congo to the United Nations General Assembly. I recall vividly similar claims and counterclaims from more than a decade ago when I was serving as the special representative of the secretary-general in the Congo from late 2008 to 2010.
Africa and the soldiers of misfortune
BY Alan Doss SINCE the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BCE to contemporary conflicts in countries like Yemen, Ukraine, and Iraq, mercenaries have been a recurring feature of human warfare. For post-colonial Africa, that story started in the newly independent Congo in 1960, where a mixed bag of mercenaries aided the Katanga province’s (failed) attempt at secession.
Africa and the Soldiers of Misfortune
Alan Doss African Arguments May 13, 2022 Since the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BCE to contemporary conflicts in countries like Yemen, Ukraine, and Iraq, mercenaries have been a recurring feature of human warfare. For post-colonial Africa, that story started in the newly independent Congo in 1960, where a mixed bag of mercenaries aided the Katanga province’s (failed) attempt at secession.
Africa and the Soldiers of Misfortune
Africa and the Soldiers of Misfortune analysis By Alan Doss The worrying rise of mercenaries and what must be done. Since the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BCE to contemporary conflicts in countries like Yemen, Ukraine, and Iraq, mercenaries have been a recurring feature of human warfare. For post-colonial Africa, that story started in the newly independent Congo in 1960, where a mixed bag of mercenaries aided the Katanga province's (failed) attempt at secession.
Africa and the Soldiers of Misfortune
The worrying rise of mercenaries and what must be done. Since the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BCE to contemporary conflicts in countries like Yemen, Ukraine, and Iraq, mercenaries have been a recurring feature of human warfare. For post-colonial Africa, that story started in the newly independent Congo in 1960, where a mixed bag of mercenaries aided the Katanga province’s (failed) attempt at secession.
Bonfire of the Vanities: Afghanistan and the Crisis of State-Building
In Afghanistan’s Zabul Province, the UN refugee agency has provided cash grants to about 1,400 internally displaced people for such basic needs as food, water and shelter amid a ballooning humanitarian crisis in the country since the Taliban takeover in August. The essayist, a former UN development expert, demystifies the concepts of nation- and state-building in the aftermath of such failures in Afghanistan.
The Audacity of Change: A Specific Example of How the UN Can Still Make a Difference
A poll worker at a voting precinct in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on the last day of the country’s 2015 presidential election. The author, a former UN specialist, tells the backstory about the creation of the UN’s set of development goals, showing how the institution can still “resolve the existential challenges to our people and planet,” especially in the pandemic. DULCIE LEIMBACH GENEVA — One of the quiet pleasures of life is an early-morning cappuccino in the company of a good newspaper.
Myanmar, Still Escaping the Shackles of the Past
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader of Myanmar, with the author, who worked on an independent advisory commission on Rakhine State, in the capital, Naypyidaw, June 2016. Despite the Feb. 1, 2021 coup, the people of Myanmar “will not easily go back to the days of military autocracy,” the author concludes.
Myanmar Archives - PassBlue
The recent case lodged by The Gambia with the International Court of Justice against Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya is the first time that rape will be prosecuted as genocide at the court, which is based in The Hague. The case has the potential to enhance feminist international law, while reinforcing the need to …
UN Agencies Are Not Exactly Zooming Toward Open Meetings
The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN entity, above. The author, a transparency expert, says the ICAO, as it’s known, falls “well below average” in openness, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN refugee agency for Palestinians. WASHINGTON — With United Nations entities meeting mostly virtually in the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a good time for more of them to hold open sessions.
Worsening Strife in the Sahel; Biden Sworn In; Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect
In the Central African Republic, distribution of voter cards began on Dec. 20 for the presidential and legislative elections on Dec. 27, 2020, above. The elections have been marked by deadly violence, including against UN peacekeepers. President Archange Felix Touadéra was re-elected, as declared recently by the country’s Constitutional Court. LEONEL GROTHE/MINUSCA The Sahel humanitarian crisis grows; Biden is sworn in as the 46th United States president; the nuclear ban treaty enters into force.
The Nuclear Ban Treaty Enters Into Force, 75 Years After Hiroshima
Ruins of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building and surroundings, Hiroshima, after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Aug. 6 1945. The building still stands, untouched, as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. UN PHOTO/DB THE HAGUE — An international agreement that bans nuclear weapons became operational on Jan. 22, more than 75 years after the detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki heralded the atomic age.
With Trump Out, Pompeo and Haley Are Jockeying for Attention
President Trump and Vice President Pence attending the United Nations Climate Action Summit in the General Assembly Hall, Sept. 23, 2019. Next to Pence is Ambassador Craft and behind him is Mike Pompeo, secretary of state at the time. The writer says that Trump, Pompeo and Nikki Haley, ex-UN envoy, will be meddling in US foreign policy in the next few years as they likely pursue the 2024 presidential election. JOYCE N.
The Congo, Afghanistan and the Limits of Outside Intervention
In North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 10 combatants surrendered to the UN peacekeepers in Lukweti, enhancing the disarmament and demobilization process, July 2020. The author explores how the UN mission in the Congo and the NATO intervention in Afghanistan face a similar predicament: how to end their operations successfully. MONUSCO This year, two expansive — and expensive — international peace and security entities will pass a significant milestone.
How Far Will Biden Go With the UN?
US President-elect Biden has said virtually nothing about the US re-engaging with the UN after four years of relentless hostility to the organization under the Trump administration. But the author of the essay lays out the main steps Biden needs to take to show the UN that America is back. As President-elect Joe Biden finds his footing in foreign affairs, one of his foremost challenges will be re-engaging with the United Nations.
Southeast Asia, Forging Ahead on Women, Peace and Security
The secretary-general of Asean, Dato Lim Jock Hoi of Vietnam, center left, posing with others in the United Nations Security Council, after a meeting on cooperation between the UN and Asean on international peace and security, Jan. 30, 2020. The regional organization has made strides in enhancing the role of women in peacekeeping and as global mediators, among other achievements, but the Covid-19 era demands more work on all fronts toward gender equality, the author writes.
Hong Kong, Where Democracy Is Disappearing
Riot police attacked a legislator and other protesters, January 2020, Hong Kong. The author, who once worked for the UN in Beijing and spent time in Hong Kong, says that although the struggle for “democratic space” has been uneven and hurt by China’s repressions, young activists for freedoms could still trigger change. CREATIVE COMMONS Recent events in Hong Kong should alert those people who hope that economic development can lead to democratic change.
A Tale of Two Elections: The US and Côte d'Ivoire
The recent highly contentious presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire and the United States, the author says, provide “interesting comparisons and contrasts.” President Alassane Ouattara, above, voting in his country’s election, Oct. 31, 2020. GENEVA — Three days before the recent, highly contentious United States presidential election occurred, another one was held in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire. The two elections provide interesting comparisons and contrasts.
Liberia: Beware of the Ides of December 8!
In the wake of legal action taken by the Collaborating Political Parties(CPP) seeking to have the Supreme Court enforce its own decision mandating the National Elections Commission(NEC) to clean-up the Voters Roll prior to the holding of the December 8 elections, NEC has announced the arrival in country of a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to assist NEC in the clean-up of the Voters Roll.
Liberia: Haywood Principal Challenges MOE's 'No Graduation' Mandate
By Tina S. Mehnpaine -Says MOE is operating outside the Education Law- Bishop Dr. Leo M. Simpson, Principal of the Haywood Mission High School in Old Road, Monrovia, has vowed that his institution will not pay any money to the Ministry of Education for hosting graduation ceremony because having graduation is not against the Education Law of the Republic of Liberia.
On the 10th Anniversary of Haiti's Cholera Outbreak, What Has the UN Learned?
Protesters in Haiti demanding reparations for cholera victims who contracted the disease through faulty a sewage setup in a United Nations peacekeeping camp 10 years ago. Compensation has yet to be made by the UN to those damaged by the outbreak. BUREAU DES AVOCAT INTERNATIONAUX/INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY IN HAITI Ten years ago this month, Haiti confirmed the arrival of a deadly cholera epidemic that killed more than 10,000 people.
Liberia: Govt Launches 'Air-Liberia' Today
By David A. Yates The Government of Liberia launches this Friday, October 30, 2020, its first-ever post-war Airline for Liberia called "Air-Liberia". President George M. Weah, according to a press release from the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, will do the honors for the launch ceremony scheduled to take place at the Robert International Airport.
Liberia: NEC Defies PPCC Over Controversial Vendor
By David S. Menjor Authorities of the National Elections Commission (NEC) appear to be entrenched in their defiance of the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), which has warned the electoral body against awarding a contract for the procurement of election materials for the December 8 elections to a little known company that lacks the track record for elections procurement.
Liberia: Supreme Court Denies CPP's Quest for Mandamus
--Says 'Holding by-election not discretionary, but constitutional' After waiting for weeks to get results from its quest for a Writ of Mandamus against the House of Representatives, the National Elections Commission, and the Executive Branch of Government, the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 29, 2020, said the holding of a by-election is "Not discretionary but a constitutional right." In addition to the mid-term election for 15 of the 30 Senators in the Legislature, the country has two...
Liberia: CSOs Reecho Call for Implementation of TRC Recommendations
By Hannah N. Geterminah -Want War Crime Perpetrators Pay for Human Rights Violations Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across Liberia are demanding the George Weah Administration to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to enable those who committed heinous crimes against humanity to face justice.
Liberia: Cental Calls for Timely Appointment of Ombudsman
By David A. Yates -- Urges full compliance with the Code of Conduct for public officials The Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), Anderson Miamen, has called on President George M. Weah to make a timely appointment to the office of the Ombudsman so that the body is fully constituted to effectively operate.
Liberia: Fail Only At Your Peril, Mr. President, to Bring the Killers of the LRA/LAA Auditors to Justice!
Weeks after their suspicious deaths at the hands of unknown assailants, families of the slain auditors have announced scheduled funeral rites to lay their loved ones to rest. Their deaths have left the nation in a state of uncertainty not knowing what next to expect. Police investigators have announced that they have in their custody, an individual identified as "Supreme", which is probably his nom de guerre.
Liberia: 'Speak Truth to Power'
By David A. Yates -- Rev. Nyanti challenges Baptist leaders At a well-attended induction ceremony of Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, Jr. of the Liberia Baptists Missionary and Educational Convention (LBMEC), Reverend Sara Beysolow-Nyanti, on Sunday, October 26, urged members of the institution to speak truth to power amid social ills ranging from corruption to secret killings that the country is going through. Rev.
Liberia: Who Sent NEC Staffer to Guinea for Elections Monitoring?
By David S. Menjor - For traveling on a ticket not bearing his name, Elections Commission distances itself from dubious arrangement The Daily Observer has reliably gathered that staff working at the National Elections Commission (NEC) recently traveled through dubious means to Guinea to monitor the just ended Presidential and Parliamentarian elections.
Liberia: 'For Heaven's Sake, Politicians Should Be Making Friends, Not Increasing Foes' (Former NSA Director)
- Former National Security Agency(NSA) director Sylvester Gbayafore Moses, commenting on remarks made by outgone Information Minister, Eugene Nagbe attacking the families of the slain LRA duo accusing them of politicizing the death of their loved ones rather than showing interest in knowing the truth, rightly observed that the former Minister's remarks were insensitive, offensive and deserving of an apology.
Liberia: Govt Changes Fiscal Budget Year
By David A. Yates -- Takes effect in 2022 The Ministry of Finance and Development (MFDP) has officially changed the government of Liberia's fiscal budget year from July 1 to June 30, to January 1 to December 31. The change, according to the ministry, is geared towards maintaining macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth in the wake of the country's recovery from the coronavirus.
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