To Save Us From Hell

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgTrump’s latest UN pick is not a diplomat. He’s tapped conservative firebrand Tammy Bruce — a Fox News personality–turned–State Department spokesperson — as Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. We break down what this shock appointment could mean for US diplomacy.Plus, in our subscriber-only deep dive: a diplomatic earthquake looms. Several Western countries, including two UN Security Council heavyweights, plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at next month’s General Assembly. We explain the path to UN membership — and why the politics are shifting now.https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff

We have a special (and timely) conversation today with Grazyna Baranowska, Vice Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Anjali Dayal and Dr. Baranowska discuss the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the kinds of investigations the Working Group has undertaken — in particular, the Working Group’s critical efforts to uncover details about the detention of Venezuelan migrants by the United States in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globaldispatches.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgTrump’s pick for UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, faced questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. You may recall he previously served as National Security Advisor before being sidelined by Trump after “Signalgate.” But Waltz was never officially fired — he was banished to the United Nations instead. For over two hours, he fielded questi…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe major Financing for Development Conference wrapped up in Seville last week with the so-called Compromiso de Sevilla, which commits countries to accelerating efforts to fund the Sustainable Development Goals and support economic and social development in lower-income countries. In our first segment, we are joined by Michael Sheldrick, co-founder of G…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgBombs are dropping in Iran and Israel, with no end in sight and the very real prospect that the United States might imminently join the fight. As a hot war unfolds in the Middle East, frantic diplomacy is also underway at both the United Nations and the IAEA.In the first (and free) segment, Mark and Anjali take a deep dive into a parallel diplomatic process on Iran’s nuclear program that is unfolding alongside the escalating war. After the jump, they discuss the implications of the Trump administration’s decision to walk out of a major UN conference on financing for development and the Sustainable Development Goals.Mark and Anjali then react to breaking news that the United Nations is poised to abandon its lease at the historic and stately Palais Wilson in Geneva, which once housed the League of Nations and is now the headquarters of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff https://www.globaldispatches.org/20PercentOffOr, you can support us at full price: https://www.globaldispatches.org/

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe General Assembly selected five new members of the Security Council and one new President of the General Assembly this week in not-so-hotly contested elections. These new Security Council members will take their seats in January, and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will assume the PGA gavel at UNGA in September. So what can we expect…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgDiscount subscription link for 40% Off --> https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff The UN is facing a major budget crunch. So how is it responding? One answer is UN80—a reform effort championed by the Secretary-General aimed at reducing the cost of operating the world body. Some proposals are beginning to take shape, including staff cuts, merging certain agencies, and—more controversially—shifting operations out of expensive cities li…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe race to succeed António Guterres is unofficially underway. His term as UN Secretary-General ends in December 2026, but the backroom jockeying has already begun. In this episode, Mark and Anjali are joined by Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group to break down the early contenders, how shifting geopolitics could shake up the selection proc…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org"Nobody wins in trade wars," said António Guterres as he left a UN Security Council meeting this week. But it’s clear there’s at least one big loser: American diplomacy. This week, Anjali and Mark break down how the Trump tariffs are rippling through the UN — and how they’re complicating diplomacy on issues that have nothing to do with trade. We also speculate on who Trump might tap as his next envoy now that Elise Stefanik is out. Plus, we dig into the UN’s role in Gaza as both diplomacy and humanitarian aid grind to a halt, and what’s next for the World Food Program after a stunning announcement — and sudden retraction — from a senior DOGE official.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are two entities now squarely in the crosshairs of their once-strongest backer. Both agencies rely heavily on American funding—but with that funding now cut, they’re laying off staff by the thousands. Anjali and Mark discuss the impact of these cuts on the agencies themselves, as wel…