Hope is not enough
The UN faces irrelevance. It cannot simply assume a moral posture and hope for a better world
The American contract
Nothing solid has taken the place of the retreating doctrine of national sovereignty. How can the US be brought back into the international fold?
The road to war
There are lessons to be learned from the mistakes made in the heart of government that led to Britain's defeat at the UN
Obasanjo’s return
Having rejoiced when Olusegun Obasanjo became president of Nigeria again, I found reconnecting with him proved harder than expected.
UN versus US
Boutros-Ghali's obsession with the US damages his memoirs
Japan and the world
Despite its current problems Japan still wields huge economic power. But the country should reject an appeal to use that clout to rebuild the international order. It ain't broke...
Warming by committee
The most exhaustive official account of global warming has just been published by the UN. John Maddox shares its anxieties but believes that the committees which produced it need reform
Irish eye
The new Ireland and its booming metropolis-Europe's capital for six months
The UN – mission impossible
No one felt like celebrating at the UN's 50th anniversary last year - the wounds of Bosnia, Rwanda and Somalia were too raw. David Hannay, formerly British ambassador to the UN, says its failings are overstated