John Bolton: Don’t Mention the Norms
Brutal transactional talks is the only language the new National Security Advisor understands
Senior Policy Fellow
United Nations system; European security and defence policy; Africa; Western Balkans
English
Richard Gowan is an associate fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
He is currently UN director at the International Crisis Group, and was previously research director at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation. He has taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Stanford in New York, and wrote a weekly column on multilateralism (“Diplomatic Fallout”) for World Politics Review from 2013-2019. He has acted as a consultant to the UN on peacekeeping, political affairs, and migration.
Brutal transactional talks is the only language the new National Security Advisor understands
Les discussions transactionnelles sont la seule forme de langage qui soient compris par le nouveau conseiller à la sécurité nationale.
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard talks with ECFR’s U.N. expert Richard Gowan among other things about Trump and Macron's addresses at the UNGA, the Korean nuclear crisis,…
Running the United Nations is a lonely job for António Guterres - and he seems to prefer it that way.
Diriger les Nations unies est un travail solitaire pour Antonio Guterres, et il semble préférer que ce soit le cas
Continua il progetto ECFR, Le Mappe della Crisi, in collaborazione con Compagnia di San Paolo e La Stampa. Analisi, infografiche, mappe e scenari di…
This workshop, organised with the Embassy of the Netherlands in London, discusses crisis management in Africa in the age of Trump and Brexit. With:…
L’UE deve fare un salto qualitativo nella gestione delle imminenti carestie e conflitti per dimostrare di avere ancora una visione strategica
D’imminentes catastrophes humanitaires au Sahel et dans la Corne de l’Afrique mettront à l’épreuve la gestion des crises par l’Europe
Taking early steps to tackle humanitarian crises is a chance to show the EU has not entirely lost a sense of strategic purpose and that it is able to meet moral
Europe should not confuse development aid’s role in reducing forced migration with that of reducing migration more broadly
Despite the existing crises to the multilateral system, the EU possesses a set of specific strengths needed to actually save the system
The turmoil in the current system represents an opportunity for Europeans to shape a new order that meets their strategic needs
Brexit has the potential to upset European coordination on development and human rights across the UN system
Taking early steps to tackle humanitarian crises is a chance to show the EU has not entirely lost a sense of strategic purpose and that it is able to meet moral
China is taking on a new military role in Africa, seeking to boost its image as a great power that promotes peace and security worldwide
The sixth ECFR Foreign Policy Scorecard highlights the EU's diminishing ability to influence its neighbours, and the neighbourhood's growing impact on the EU
The EU needs an honest assessment of its capabilities and to set limited goals behind which member states can show sustainable unity
Europe must learn the lessons of the Iran negotiations and boost Germany’s role at the UN Security Council to combat Russian blocking tactics
The EU's habit of outsourcing its military interventions is problematic for a multitude of reasons
Although their new friendship treaty does not call for an EU Security Council seat, France and Germany must pitch a compelling vision of multilateralism at the UN
Brutal transactional talks is the only language the new National Security Advisor understands
Running the United Nations is a lonely job for António Guterres - and he seems to prefer it that way.
There are still, for now, some very serious European contenders with real chances of success.
This week’s World Humanitarian Summit was an opportunity to discuss how to assist the suffering, yet the entire process showed much of the humanitarian sector at its most fragmented and self-indulgent
Confidence in the UN could fall to an all time low if Moscow continues to manipulate the Syria peace process to its military advantage
Is China ready to play a bigger role at the United Nations?
European leaders need to find a way to put President Putin back on the diplomatic defensive and the UN may be the best place for them to act
It's not easy being a European in the Big Apple ahead of UN General Assembly
Europe faces a worsening security situation on many fronts and needs tools – new and old – to stabilize its neighbourhood
The multilateral system faces three related crises of power, relevance, and legitimacy. This fraying consensus threatens the EU, which is committed to multilateralism. But the…
Mark Leonard and Richard Gowan go through the likely talking points at the meeting and discuss what might be on some countries' hidden agendas. The…
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard talks with ECFR’s U.N. expert Richard Gowan among other things about Trump and Macron's addresses at the UNGA, the Korean nuclear crisis,…
This workshop, organised with the Embassy of the Netherlands in London, discusses crisis management in Africa in the age of Trump and Brexit. With:…
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with Senior Policy Fellow Richard Gowan about the candidates, and the factors that will decide the race. The podcast was recorded…
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with Somini Sengupta, UN correspondent for the New York Times, Richard Gowan, ECFR Senior Policy Fellow, and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil,…
Richard Gowan, Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR and Professor at Columbia University, explains why the EU received a B- for how it dealt with…
Richard Gowan, ECFR Associate Fellow and author of Chapter 6, believes that there were several crises the EU had to face in 2014. How…