Candidates vying to be the new Secretary-General should come to next week’s General Assembly debates with ideas for bolstering the UN’s credibility on international peace and security. I lay out some markers in this new @CrisisGroup commentary. crisisgroup.org/cmt/global/p…

RT @AliVaez: Told @NYTimes: With the new regime in Tehran, objectives that the United States and Israel have not achieved through war will…

Trump’s entreaties to Xi demonstrate fundamental lack of understanding of China in the Middle East. Tehran remains an imp partner, not just as source of energy security but also as part of China’s regional balancing strategy, which includes engagement w/Israel & Gulf Arab states.

6 candidates; anyone else? newsroom.gy/2026/06/12/presi…

Good scoop, another name jumping into the @UN Secretary-General race.

Pretty solid analysis of how the UNSC Asia seat election unfolded, though I don’t think it’s accurate to describe it as the “most closely watched contest” of this year’s cycle.

The Philippines' loss to Kyrgyzstan in the race for a non-permanent U.N. Security Council seat points to shifting coalitions within the U.N. and exposes the limits of alliance politics in multilateral settings. buff.ly/gdDupMw

“Including Lebanon” isn’t clear. You can’t just call a ceasefire there without getting into question of Israeli withdrawal and a mechanism to ensure both sides don’t shoot

Told @The_NewArab: Mladenov’s plan makes Palestinians “have to fulfil Israel’s war goals by their own hands before Israel will give them anything. And there are no guarantees or weight of responsibility on the Israelis to keep their side of the bargain.” newarab.com/news/trumps-boar…

✍️ NEW OP-ED | How African Diplomacy Faltered in Congo - and How It Can Be Revived Objectives are simple to map out, but getting to them will be especially hard. The conflict has deepened and hardened in four years, says @richmoncrieff. worldpoliticsreview.com/cong…

It was a great honor to join the opening panel of the 2026 Oslo Forum, alongside H.E. President Ruto of Kenya @WilliamsRuto, Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide @EspenBarthEide, Dr. Comfort Ero @EroComfort, and the BBC’s Lyse Doucet @bbclysedoucet.  We had an engaging discussion about how political leadership, motivated mediators, and innovative partnerships can drive mediation and efforts for peace. Remarking on the United States’ mediation efforts around the world, I noted the complex challenges of modern conflicts and peacemaking, including generating political will among warring parties (who embrace the status quo of conflict) and navigating webs of external actors driving or enabling conflict. I was proud to highlight how the United States leverages the leadership and pragmatism of @POTUS in finding creative solutions for peace, as well as how we use partnerships with countries and organizations around the world to find innovative solutions for peace.

Siya Kolisi and the Springboks have a message for Bafana Bafana ahead of their #FIFAWorldCup opener tonight 🇿🇦🫂

We are honored to announce that Finland is seeking a non-permanent seat on the #UNSC for 2029–2030 to advance peace, uphold international law, and promote the freedom, rights, and well-being of all people. 🇺🇳 Read more: finland4unsc.org/

UPCOMING ONLINE EVENT | The Xi-Kim Summit: Implications for Korean Peninsula Security ⏰10 June | 8am Washington | 2pm Brussels | 9pm Seoul W/ @Dest_Pyongyang, @WilliamYang120, @le2huong and @j3nnyt0wn. Registration ⬇️ us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

I spoke to @asahi about the evolution of the U.S. approach to @UN (in Japanese): "the U.S. has a much narrower interpretation of what the American interest is in multilateral cooperation compared with past Administrations." asahi.com/articles/ASV650R87…

Final preparations for the Geneva Debate. Tomorrow, @TheZeinabBadawi will moderate a debate organized by #GWLVoices with the collaboration of @unfoundation with candidates @mbachelet , @mfespinosaEC , @RGrynspan and a video intervention from @Macky_Sall . #NextUNSG

On 9 June, the Geneva Debate will bring together candidates for the #NextUNSG to discuss the future of global leadership and multilateralism. Featuring @mfespinosaEC , @mbachelet , @RGrynspan, and @Macky_Sall with a video intervention. #NextUNSG #GenevaDebate

Germany declaring its next UNSC candidacies WELL in advance this time. Also presuming that they intentionally chose cycles without declared WEOG candidates.

Just a massive change in NYC's power grid this week. Getting almost no attention. A 350-mile transmission line bringing hydro-electric power from Canada to NYC is now live. Will provide enough electricity to power 1 million homes, bringing us to 40% renewable energy sources for the five boroughs. At last making up for the loss of Indian Point nuclear power plant, which used to provide 20% of our power. The Champlain Hudson Power Express took more than 12 years to build. It was a tough political fight. Now we need to win many more fights like this.