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    Iran Escalates Threats Ahead of Ahmadinejad’s United Nations Speech

    The war of nerves between Iran and Israel continued to escalate over the weekend as a prominent Iranian officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to launch a pre-emptive attack on Israel if Tehran concluded that an Israeli attack was imminent. Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of … More

    U.N. Review of Tech Transfers to Iran, North Korea Underscores Need for U.S. Action

    As reported by Fox News earlier this year, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved the transfer of computers and other equipment to Iran and North Korea—both of which are under sanction by the U.S. and the United Nations—without notifying WIPO member states or the U.N. sanctions committees. In response, … More

    U.S. Should Quit U.N.’s “Programme of Action”

    Today marks the second week of the 2012 Review Conference for the U.N.’s “Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,” commonly known as the PoA. Unlike the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which collapsed for the … More

    New Report Outlines Iran’s Nuclear Progress as Tehran Counterattacks with Misaligned Summit

    The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has documented Iran’s continued progress towards attaining a nuclear weapons capacity. Iran more than doubled the number of centrifuges—from 1,064 in May to 2,140—installed in the Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried deep under a mountain and hardened against … More

    U.N. Disabilities Treaty Leaves Door Open for Abortion Advocates

    A heated abortion debate in the Senate gives the U.S. just one more reason to oppose the U.N. treaty it is considering on disabilities. Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of sending the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the full … More

    The End of the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty—for Now

    On Friday, the negotiating conference for the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) crashed to short-term failure. After four weeks, the clock ran out. The ATT was an effort to strike a deal between the Europeans and the Americans—who hoped (wrongly) that a treaty would force inept and dictatorial states to … More

    U.N. Negotiations on Arms Trade Treaty Near End

    The U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) conference released a second draft text late in the afternoon on Thursday. After initial reactions from states, the questions still at issue came into focus. In order of significance, the top five questions are: 1. Will the treaty be amendable by consensus or by … More

    The Arms Trade Treaty: Just A Gateway Drug

    The outcome of the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is still uncertain, but one thing’s for sure: The ATT is not going to go away. It’s obvious that there’s no consensus yet on the crucial parts of the treaty, including its scope (what kinds of weapons, items, … More

    Arms Trade Treaty: Media Need an Advanced Class on Treaties

    In answering media questions on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), I have found that hosts frequently state, as a matter of fact, that treaties require a two-thirds Senate majority, and if they don’t get it, they have no legal effect. Like all things, it’s not that simple. Here’s a … More

    Reaction to the Latest Draft of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty

    In early July, I spent two weeks at the U.N. conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The conference ends on July 27, and I’m back for this final week. The president of the U.N. conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has just released a draft treaty text. Here … More