It is clear that the security situation in Syria will be far, far worse this time around, so Ban needs to be creative.

Richard Gowan

Categorized in : World

The personal dimension is pretty important and you're dealing with some pretty tough customers, the Russians in particular.

With Pompeo more firmly in control and John Bolton focused on his anti-multilateral agenda, there's a sense the Richard Gowan ambassador will have less clout.

People don't know very much about State Department spokeswoman He... by Richard Gowan

People don't know very much about State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, people are cautious.

If State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is nominated and approved, people will be interested to see whether State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert's willing and able to do the diplomatic toil or whether State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert will see this as an extension of the spokesman position and focus more on presentation of Richard Gowan position before the Security Council.

It is clearly part of a bigger campaign to undermine international institutions and its notable that John Bolton emphasized that The US is going to be aiming to remove The US from any further jurisdiction, i think United States's part of Bolton's underlying agenda. John Bolton's quite obsessed with restraints on United States policy making.

The U.N. team that went in back then were very courageous and pushed their mandate as far as they could.

It looks like Russia may table new peace proposals for Syria, but the chances of a breakthrough are low, putin will use his first visit to the U.N. in a decade to defend his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad forcefully, but Western and Arab governments will respond equally toughly.