Tag: UN

Trump, US face pivotal UN vote on Iran

The Hill logoThe Trump administration’s Iran strategy will face a key test this week as the United States calls for a vote at the United Nations on its resolution to extend an arms embargo against the Islamic Republic.

If the resolution fails — which experts say is the most likely scenario — the Trump administration has threatened to invoke snapback sanctions, which supporters of the Iran nuclear deal fear will be the agreement’s death knell.

The gambit also risks further alienating the United States from its allies, which continue to support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and have rebuffed the Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure campaign against Tehran. Continue reading.

Want to Know More About: The United Nations General Assembly

Erica Hill: “Trump’s United Nations Address Yesterday Unexpectedly Fulfilling One Of His Campaign Slogans, The World Is Laughing At Us.” [New Day, CNN, 9/26/18; Video]

Robin Wright: “The President Had A Serious Speech He Was Trying To Give And Yet The One Enduring Image Out Of This Address Was The Global Reaction And It Was A Microcosm In Many Ways Of The Gap Between The Trump White House And The World On The Bigger Issues.” ROBIN WRIGHT: “The gasps, the giggles that swept the cavernous General Assembly were so striking. The president had a serious speech he was trying to give and yet the one enduring image out of this address was the global reaction and it was a microcosm in many ways of the gap between the Trump White House and the world on the bigger issues, whether it is  climate change and NAFTA and global alliances and how you deal with global threats and challenges, and he was trying to send a message about how to do it, to be strong and go it alone, and the world was laughing at his claims about how much he has achieved and his approach to solving the problems that all of these nations face.” New Day, CNN, 9/26/18; Video]

Robin Wright: “This Week In New York When Everybody Is Supposed To Gather To Talk About Big Issues Is The Discussion Among Diplomats Is As Much About What Is Happening To The Fate Of The American Presidency As It Is To The Fate Of The World.” [New Day, CNN, 9/26/18; Video] Continue reading “Want to Know More About: The United Nations General Assembly”

Trump officially quits the UN Human Rights Council

The following article by D. Parvaz was posted on the ThinkProgress website June 19, 2018:

The move comes as the world condemns the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents.

Credit: Mohammed Elshamy, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images

The United States announced it is leaving the U.N.’s Human Rights Commission on Tuesday.

The move comes at time when the U.N. Human Rights Commission (a 47-member body with rotating terms) and refugee agency have both condemned the president’s policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border before they get the chance to apply for refugee status. On Monday, the U.N. rights chief called the Trump administration of splitting migrant families “unconscionable.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced the U.S. departure from the U.N. rights body at the State Department. Continue reading “Trump officially quits the UN Human Rights Council”

U.N. resoundingly rejects U.S. decision on Jerusalem in pointed rebuke

The following article by Carol Morello and Ruth Eglash was posted on the Washington Post website December 21, 2017:

On Dec. 21, the United Nations voted 128-9 in favor of rejecting President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. (Reuters)

The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a measure rejecting the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which was repeatedly criticized as undermining prospects for peace.

Despite blunt warnings that U.S. aid to countries that backed the resolution and even funding for the United Nations itself may be cut, the resolution on “illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of occupied Palestinian territory” got 128 votes. Only nine countries — including the United States and Israel — voted against it. Another 35 countries abstained, and 21 were absent. Continue reading “U.N. resoundingly rejects U.S. decision on Jerusalem in pointed rebuke”

Trump Threatens to End American Aid: ‘We’re Watching Those Votes’ at the U.N.

The following article by Mark Landler was posted on the New York Times website December 20, 2017:

President Trump met on Wednesday with his cabinet at the White House.CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump issued a threat on Wednesday to cut off American aid to any country that votes for a resolution at the United Nations condemning his recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Mr. Trump’s statement, delivered at a cabinet meeting in which he exulted over the passage of a tax overhaul, followed a letter to General Assembly members from the American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, in which she warned that the United States would take note of countries that voted in favor of the measure. Continue reading “Trump Threatens to End American Aid: ‘We’re Watching Those Votes’ at the U.N.”

U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution on Jerusalem

The following article by Kim Hjelmgaard was posted on the USA Today website December 18, 2017:

The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution Monday intended to invalidate President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

While the vote was certain to fail because Washington has a permanent veto on the 15-member council, it further isolates Trump on the world stage on the issue. Continue reading “U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution on Jerusalem”