Empowering Today’s Youth

The Urgency of Chemical Weapons Inspections in Syria

In a recent report to the Human Rights Council, the UN Commission of Inquiry found that “there are reasonable grounds to believe” chemical weapons have been used in a limited way in at least four attacks since the Syrian civil war began in March of 2011. However, the council said it needed “more evidence,” including tests of samples taken directly from victims or at the sites of the alleged attacks.
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The Ongoing International Struggle over Internet Governance

The fifth UN World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) opened in mid-May with political theater at its finest. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), took the stage wearing a blue UN peacekeeping helmet. “It is my pleasure to announce today that we are not taking over the Internet,” he declared. “The UN peacekeepers and their blue helmets are not coming to take over the world IXPs [Internet exchange points]. The UN peacekeepers are not coming to take over the Internet critical resources...”
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Samantha Power, Susan Rice and the Future of U.S.-UN Relations

President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team experienced a shuffle this week. On Wednesday, he appointed U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to become his new National Security Adviser, tapping National Security Council official Samantha Power to take over as Rice’s successor at the United Nations.
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