International Organizations

Iran Leans on UN Security Council Legitimacy to Blunt US Pressure

By Noah Annan

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used to denigrate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions as “worthless paper.” That is not the case anymore. In the aftermath of the US unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal codified by UNSC resolution 2231, Iranian diplomats are embracing this element of international legality to accuse the Trump administration of wrongdoing.

Brexit and the Irish Backstop: the fear that dare not speak its name

By John M. Roberts

Responding to comments from a plethora of critics in the wake of her statement, May told Parliament on December 10 that the British government “retains its commitment to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and the commitments the government made within that agreement.”

OPEC attempts to recast its relationship with the United States

By Randolph Bell and Reed Blakemore

Though previous US administrations have taken an interest in OPEC and oil prices, Trump’s consumer-oriented approach to the oil market—and his willingness to use his Twitter account to advocate for that approach—has made always-difficult OPEC negotiations that much more challenging.

UN migration agreement leads to splits in the European Union

By Miranda L. Prosdotti

In reality, since the height of the migrant crisis European leaders have cut unauthorized migration by 90 percent, and UNHCR data shows that the number of arriving migrants is back to its pre-crisis level.

TRADE IN ACTION November 30, 2018

By Global Business & Economics Program

The G20 summit explained

By Alina Alimova and Nicholas Goggin

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a global forum comprised of twenty of the world’s largest economies, focused on addressing global economic challenges.

Trump is correct, May’s Brexit deal would make a US-UK trade agreement highly unlikely

By Álvaro Morales Salto-Weis

With his comments, Trump has brought increased attention to a significant weakness of May’s Brexit plan, namely the inability of the UK to craft its own trade policy.

Time is running short for Europe to save the Iran nuclear agreement

By Bijan Ahmadi and Younes Zangiabadi

“You cannot swim without getting wet,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the annual International Mediterranean Dialogues Conference last week, signaling that Iran is losing patience with European leaders and expects the European Union (EU) to back up its political support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with concrete actions. Six months […]

An opportunity for the EU to give Ukraine a helping hand

By András Tóth-Czifra

Ultimately, EU leaders should keep in mind that in Ukraine, just as in other countries of the EU’s neighborhood, the EU has a normative, not a geopolitical battle to win.