FP This Week: What’s the United Nations for?

Plus, where to next in Ukraine? [Foreign Policy This Week]( September 19, 2022 | [View in browser]( To access all the benefits of an FP subscription, [sign in]( or [subscribe](. Thanks for reading. As world leaders convene in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly this week, many may be asking: What’s it all for? In the wake of an unprovoked war started by one of the U.N. Security Council’s five permanent members, “the institution faces a profound crisis of faith.” That’s according to FP’s Robbie Gramer and Anusha Rathi, who [report]( today on the attacks the U.N. faces from all sides—not just regarding its inability to stop Russia’s brutality in Ukraine but also regarding its inaction on Myanmar, climate change, and human rights abuses around the globe. Even its own peacekeeping missions are under fire for failing to fulfill their most basic mandates. If you read only one story today, make it [this one](. The Biden administration’s plans for reform are spearheaded by [Linda Thomas-Greenfield]( the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., who spoke to FP’s Ravi Agrawal about her priorities as she geared up for a difficult week of meetings and negotiations. A condensed transcript is [here](. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also joined FP Live in recent days to answer questions about how the trans-Atlantic alliance plans to support Ukraine moving forward as well as its new strategic concept. As with all FP Lives, you can watch it [on demand]( or read a condensed [transcript]( Finally, almost seven months into Russia’s war in Ukraine, are you wondering what might happen next? FP’s Amy Mackinnon and Jack Detsch report with Gramer on four [possible scenarios]( for the war’s next chapter now that the Russian military’s rapid collapse in the face of Ukraine’s surprise offensive has turned the whole narrative of the war on its head. —The Editors Image credit: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images --------------------------------------------------------------- New and Noteworthy - The Crown: Just how rich are Britain’s royals? In the wake of the passing of [Queen Elizabeth II]( FP’s Cameron Abadi and FP columnist Adam Tooze examine the United Kingdom’s financial relationship with its monarchy and how it’s evolved over the centuries. For the entire conversation, listen to FP’s economics podcast [Ones and Tooze]( or read a transcript of the interview [here]( - Appointments: The selection of Volker Türk as the next United Nations high commissioner for human rights risks becoming not only the most expected but also the most disappointing appointment made during U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’s tenure. To be an effective high commissioner, former Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth [argues]( Türk will have to approach human rights differently from his boss. - FP Exclusive: In mid-August, two U.S. Senate aides were sitting at an outdoor cafe in Harare, Zimbabwe, with a civil society activist when someone approached them with a warning. They were being tailed and filmed by another man in the cafe, whom the spotter suspected was a member of the Zimbabwean government’s security services. Following a tense [car chase]( a leading lawmaker called on U.S. President Joe Biden to address Zimbabwe’s “dire” authoritarian turn. [Read the full story](. --------------------------------------------------------------- FP Live: Reporters’ Notebook—Ukraine War Developments and a Nuclear Iran Which threads are FP reporters following up on after the 77th U.N. General Assembly? How have the high-level meetings among world leaders in New York City impacted the biggest international stories? [Join FP Live with our A-list team of reporters and executive editor]( to get the full analysis. Sept. 29 | 12 p.m. ET --------------------------------------------------------------- Best of the Briefings: Africa Brief The highlights last week: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was at the White House, William Ruto was sworn in as president of Kenya, and Senegal made strides toward parliamentary gender parity. Read an excerpt from the [most recent edition]( of Africa Brief below: King Charles III was officially proclaimed Britain’s new monarch last Saturday in a ceremony laden with ancient pomp as many in former British colonies and elsewhere noted that the late Queen Elizabeth II had never spoken out or apologized for crimes committed under the British Empire. Unlike Elizabeth, Charles has not always toed the line of neutrality in British politics. His “black spider” handwritten notes to government ministers from 2004 onward drew accusations that he would be a “meddling” monarch. In the documents, Charles lobbied on issues including expanding what is taught in English and history courses, supplying more equipment for troops in Iraq, and the plight of the Patagonian toothfish. [Continue reading]( this brief online, and [sign up]( to get it weekly. --------------------------------------------------------------- Most Popular on FP - [Kazakhstan Is Breaking Out of Russia’s Grip]( by Temur Umarov - [Is Tunisia Abandoning Morocco for Algeria?]( by Simon Speakman Cordall - [Queen Elizabeth II Wasn’t Innocent of Her Empire’s Sins]( by Howard W. French - [Ukraine’s 1777 Moment]( by Gian Gentile and Raphael S. Cohen - [Electric Vehicles’ Dirty Secret]( by FP Contributors --------------------------------------------------------------- From Around FP - FP Tech Forum: FP’s second annual Tech Forum will convene the principal minds in technology policy for a [series of conversations]( on the most pressing issues facing the world today. Our program will feature thought leaders and experts from the public and private sectors as well as other change-makers working to shape our digital future. This event will be held in person in New York and will also be livestreamed to a global audience. Sept. 21 | 9:30 a.m. ET - Ukraine—A Test of the Multilateral System: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through global markets, putting additional pressure on already-strained supply chains with cascading global impacts. Join FP, in partnership with the Open Society Foundations, for a frank [discussion]( on the fallout of the war as well as how multilateral institutions can identify targeted strategies to quell the crisis and more effectively support the world’s most vulnerable. Sept. 21 | 5:30 p.m. ET Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? [Explore partnership opportunities](. Would you like to enable organization-wide access to Foreign Policy to maximize your savings? [Find out]( if a group subscription is right for your team. --------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to the FP This Week newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. 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