WHAT: UNGA Analysis & Discussion
WHEN: September 22-ongoing
WHERE: American University, in-studio, or via telephone
September 22, 2014 (Washington, D.C.) – World problems come into focus this week at the 69th United Nations General Assembly where President Obama will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday to adopt a binding resolution to prosecute would-be terrorists from traveling abroad. Also on the agenda are UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon’s climate change summit with Russia, China, and India conspicuously absent, and other transnational, cross border crises such as Ebola, Iranian nuclear ambitions, and Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
American University experts below are available to provide commentary and analysis on the above and more:UN and UN Security CouncilDavid Bosco, assistant professor in the School of International Service, is an expert on the UN and the UN Security Council. He is author of Five to Rule Them All (Oxford University Press, 2009), a history of the UN Security Council and Rough Justice(Oxford University Press, 2014), an examination of the International Criminal Court's first decade. He writes regularly for Foreign Policy magazine. Bosco is available to speak about the UN Security Council and the UN more broadly.
Climate ChangeSimon Nicholson, director of the Global Environmental Politics Program, is an expert on global food politics and the politics of emerging technologies including geoengineering. Nicholson can speak to climate change. He also participated in the People's Climate March in Manhattan this past weekend.
Paul Wapner, professor of Global Environmental Politics in the School of International Service, is an expert on environmental thought, transnational environmental activism, environmental ethics, and global environmental politics. Wapner can speak to climate change. He also participated in the People's Climate March in Manhattan this past weekend.
U.S. Foreign Policy/DiplomacyJames Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service, is an expert on contemporary U.S. foreign policy, NATO, and transatlantic issues. Goldgeier has held appointments at the U.S. State Department and as a National Security Council staff member. Goldgeier is available to discuss the general challenges facing U.S. foreign policy and the efforts to put together coalitions to respond to them.
Anthony Quainton, distinguished diplomat in residence, served in the United States Foreign Service and held ambassadorships to the Central African Republic, Nicaragua, Kuwait, and Peru. Amb. Quainton also served as Director, Office for Combating Terrorism, U.S. Department of State(1978-1981) and Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security(1992-1995). Amb. Quainton can discuss U.S. foreign policy and terrorism.
Russia/UkraineAnton Fedyashin assistant professor and executive director of AU’s Initiative for Russian Culture, is an expert in Russian and Soviet history and current post-Soviet affairs. Fluent in Russian and French. "Twenty-five years after Mikhail Gorbachev's famous address to the General Assembly, his vision of a common European home and a collective security agreement from Lisbon to Vladivostok is still an unrealized dream. The post-Cold War generation of politicians in Europe, the U.S., and Russia has moved the world further than ever from this visionary goal. Cooperating to defeat terrorism could become the organizing principle for this cause. We will see if there is sufficient political wisdom among the world's politicians to begin moving in this direction."
TerrorismTricia Bacon, professorial lecturer in the School of Public Affairs, worked on counterterrorism for over ten years at the Department of State, including in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Bacon conducted research and analysis on counterterrorism in South Asia, North Africa, East Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Bacon can readily speak on terrorism including ISIS, al-Qaida, Boko Haram, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, as well as U.S. counterterrorism efforts to build a coalition against ISIS.
Joseph Young, associate professor in the School of International Service and School of Public Affairs, is an expert on terrorism and the cross-national causes and consequences of political violence. Young can discuss terrorism, the threat that ISIS poses, and how terrorism relates to other security issues.
Middle EastGuy Ziv, assistant professor in the School of International Service, is an expert on U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, and international negotiations. His current research focuses on foreign policy decision-making, the influence of think-tanks in U.S. foreign policy, and the role of political elites in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Ziv is available to discuss President Abbas' threat to present his peace plan for a binding vote at the UN Security Council. Ziv can also discuss the latest developments regarding Israel's cease-fire with Hamas and the likelihood of renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.