Richard Gowan
@richardgowan1.bsky.social
UN Director at Crisis Group.
The obvious next step is the @nobelprize.bsky.social for excellence in soccer.
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
November 5, 2025 at 9:26 PM
The obvious next step is the @nobelprize.bsky.social for excellence in soccer.
Reposted by Richard Gowan
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
November 5, 2025 at 8:30 PM
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
We have to assume that the change pro-Brexit voters wanted was a lot more of @anandmenon.bsky.social in the news, and that is what they got.
Interesting lecture by @anandmenon.bsky.social.
How politics have shaped the narrative over the last 10-20 years.
He talks about people wanting change, but doesn't go into what change they want - maybe citizens don't know.
If we need a sense of direction what's it to be ? Ending child poverty ?
How politics have shaped the narrative over the last 10-20 years.
He talks about people wanting change, but doesn't go into what change they want - maybe citizens don't know.
If we need a sense of direction what's it to be ? Ending child poverty ?
I did a lecture on the impact of Brexit on British politics. Watch it here if you're really bored www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztqL...
November 5, 2025 at 1:55 PM
We have to assume that the change pro-Brexit voters wanted was a lot more of @anandmenon.bsky.social in the news, and that is what they got.
I talked to @thenationalnews.com about why a UNSC mandate is necessary to backstop a stabilization force in Gaza.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/11...
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/11...
US drafts UN resolution for international force for Gaza | The National
At least four Muslim countries interested in participating in new force
www.thenationalnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:34 PM
I talked to @thenationalnews.com about why a UNSC mandate is necessary to backstop a stabilization force in Gaza.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/11...
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
"Everyone is really dancing around the fact that you need a mission that can use force, and that is going to be really tough both in terms of operations but also optics."
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Next Question for Gaza Peace Plan: Who Wants to Police It?
Any country sending troops to keep the peace in the enclave could risk having a run-in with Hamas, which says it will resist any attempt to confront it.
www.wsj.com
November 2, 2025 at 2:53 PM
"Everyone is really dancing around the fact that you need a mission that can use force, and that is going to be really tough both in terms of operations but also optics."
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
I talked to @alarabiyanet.bsky.social about the history of @crisisgroup.org, the state of the UN, peace prospects in Gaza and other conflicts high on our radar.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
Al Arabiya with Richard Gowan , Director, UN and Multilateral Diplomacy [ENG]
YouTube video by TALAL AL-HAJ
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I talked to @alarabiyanet.bsky.social about the history of @crisisgroup.org, the state of the UN, peace prospects in Gaza and other conflicts high on our radar.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
I talked to @alarabiyanet.bsky.social about the history of @crisisgroup.org, the state of the UN, peace prospects in Gaza and other conflicts high on our radar.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
Al Arabiya with Richard Gowan , Director, UN and Multilateral Diplomacy [ENG]
YouTube video by TALAL AL-HAJ
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I talked to @alarabiyanet.bsky.social about the history of @crisisgroup.org, the state of the UN, peace prospects in Gaza and other conflicts high on our radar.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvM...
"Everyone is really dancing around the fact that you need a mission that can use force, and that is going to be really tough both in terms of operations but also optics."
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Next Question for Gaza Peace Plan: Who Wants to Police It?
Any country sending troops to keep the peace in the enclave could risk having a run-in with Hamas, which says it will resist any attempt to confront it.
www.wsj.com
November 2, 2025 at 2:53 PM
"Everyone is really dancing around the fact that you need a mission that can use force, and that is going to be really tough both in terms of operations but also optics."
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Me to @wsj.com on stabilization in Gaza.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Attention fellow cyclists: some news you can use. www.cbsnews.com/news/cyclist...
Cyclist falls down 130-foot ravine in France, survives 3 days by drinking wine he had in shopping bag
A helicopter airlifted him to hospital, with a rescue doctor calling his survival "a miracle."
www.cbsnews.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Attention fellow cyclists: some news you can use. www.cbsnews.com/news/cyclist...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
My colleague Ali Wyne has a scene-setter ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting tomorrow in South Korea. In addition to de-escalating trade tensions, he argues that Trump should strive to reinforce a fragile status quo and avoid under-developed policy improvisations.
www.crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific...
www.crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific...
Making the Most of the Trump-Xi Meeting | International Crisis Group
The world will be watching when the leaders of the two foremost global powers confer in South Korea on 30 October. They should use the opportunity to de-escalate the U.S.-China trade standoff, steady ...
www.crisisgroup.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:05 PM
My colleague Ali Wyne has a scene-setter ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting tomorrow in South Korea. In addition to de-escalating trade tensions, he argues that Trump should strive to reinforce a fragile status quo and avoid under-developed policy improvisations.
www.crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific...
www.crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
In a rare move, UN security officials stage a sick-out. UN spox says: . . . "what I can also tell you is that the building is very much secure at this point."
passblue.com/2025/10/27/u...
passblue.com/2025/10/27/u...
UN Security Officers Stage a Sick-Out to Protest Planned Benefit Cuts - PassBlue
UN Security Officers Stage a Sick-Out to Protest Planned Benefit Cuts - PassBlue
passblue.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:26 PM
In a rare move, UN security officials stage a sick-out. UN spox says: . . . "what I can also tell you is that the building is very much secure at this point."
passblue.com/2025/10/27/u...
passblue.com/2025/10/27/u...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
"The United Nations is an institution that is having to take a crash diet."
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
At 80, the UN struggles on
Open access // by Richard Gowan (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2025)
mondediplo.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:16 PM
"The United Nations is an institution that is having to take a crash diet."
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Listen to me sounding supremely cynical about the UNSC and the veto in this BBC World documentary.
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
BBC Audio | The Inquiry | Is the UN Security Council still relevant?
Is the United Nations Security Council fit for purpose ?
www.bbc.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Listen to me sounding supremely cynical about the UNSC and the veto in this BBC World documentary.
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
"The United Nations is an institution that is having to take a crash diet."
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
At 80, the UN struggles on
Open access // by Richard Gowan (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2025)
mondediplo.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:16 PM
"The United Nations is an institution that is having to take a crash diet."
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Read my diet tips for the UN.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Listen to me sounding supremely cynical about the UNSC and the veto in this BBC World documentary.
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
BBC Audio | The Inquiry | Is the UN Security Council still relevant?
Is the United Nations Security Council fit for purpose ?
www.bbc.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Listen to me sounding supremely cynical about the UNSC and the veto in this BBC World documentary.
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
A follow up from Prof. Ganguly & me on India's stance on the Gaza peace plan, & specifically on how India's previous peacekeeping experience in Gaza in 50s & 60s can inform & condition an eventual participation in the ISF
indianexpress.com/article/opin...
indianexpress.com/article/opin...
India must participate in the International Stabilisation Force in Gaza. But some lessons need to be kept in mind
India was one of the first and largest troop contributors to The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF I) established in 1956 after the Suez Crisis, following the tripartite invasion of Egypt by Israel...
indianexpress.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:42 AM
A follow up from Prof. Ganguly & me on India's stance on the Gaza peace plan, & specifically on how India's previous peacekeeping experience in Gaza in 50s & 60s can inform & condition an eventual participation in the ISF
indianexpress.com/article/opin...
indianexpress.com/article/opin...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Martin Luther King allegedly said "a budget is a moral document". So what do arguments over the UN's fast-shrinking budgets tell us about its members' principles and priorities?
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
At 80, the UN struggles on
Open access // by Richard Gowan (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2025)
mondediplo.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Martin Luther King allegedly said "a budget is a moral document". So what do arguments over the UN's fast-shrinking budgets tell us about its members' principles and priorities?
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Weekday replug for latest Foreign Desk on Monocle Radio. The at 80 UN, with former UN force commander Major General Patrick Cammaert, Mona Ali Khalil of @passblue.bsky.social, U Thant's biographer and grandson @thantmyintu.bsky.social and. . . John Bolton. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
Eighty years on, is the United Nations a relevant institution? - Monocle
Eighty years on from its inception, the United Nations is in crisis. Former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton...
monocle.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Weekday replug for latest Foreign Desk on Monocle Radio. The at 80 UN, with former UN force commander Major General Patrick Cammaert, Mona Ali Khalil of @passblue.bsky.social, U Thant's biographer and grandson @thantmyintu.bsky.social and. . . John Bolton. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
“Nobody has heard of” Lesotho, President Trump joked, to the laughter of lawmakers. He’d just cut aid to the country.
Weeks later, he announced a 50% tariff on exports from “the denim capital of Africa.”
Today, Lesotho is under a state of disaster.
I recently traveled there for @bloomberg.com:
Weeks later, he announced a 50% tariff on exports from “the denim capital of Africa.”
Today, Lesotho is under a state of disaster.
I recently traveled there for @bloomberg.com:
How Trump’s Tariffs Upended a Hub of Denim Manufacturing
YouTube video by Bloomberg Television
youtu.be
October 25, 2025 at 11:48 AM
“Nobody has heard of” Lesotho, President Trump joked, to the laughter of lawmakers. He’d just cut aid to the country.
Weeks later, he announced a 50% tariff on exports from “the denim capital of Africa.”
Today, Lesotho is under a state of disaster.
I recently traveled there for @bloomberg.com:
Weeks later, he announced a 50% tariff on exports from “the denim capital of Africa.”
Today, Lesotho is under a state of disaster.
I recently traveled there for @bloomberg.com:
Martin Luther King allegedly said "a budget is a moral document". So what do arguments over the UN's fast-shrinking budgets tell us about its members' principles and priorities?
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
At 80, the UN struggles on
Open access // by Richard Gowan (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2025)
mondediplo.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Martin Luther King allegedly said "a budget is a moral document". So what do arguments over the UN's fast-shrinking budgets tell us about its members' principles and priorities?
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Me (now in English) in Le Monde Diplomatique.
mondediplo.com/2025/10/14un
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Good & detailed analysis of the US campaign in Venezuela, including the prospect of a war. "The risks of violence in any post-Maduro scenario should not be downplayed. Many senior military officers could resist regime change." www.crisisgroup.org/latin-americ...
Beware the Slide Toward Regime Change in Venezuela | International Crisis Group
The Trump administration is dispatching military assets to the Caribbean and sinking boats it claims ferry drugs. While it appears the deployment is part of a plan to depose Venezuelan President Nicol...
www.crisisgroup.org
October 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Good & detailed analysis of the US campaign in Venezuela, including the prospect of a war. "The risks of violence in any post-Maduro scenario should not be downplayed. Many senior military officers could resist regime change." www.crisisgroup.org/latin-americ...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Reposted by Richard Gowan
80 ans après sa naissance, l’ONU demeure une institution paradoxale : vitale pour des millions de vies, mais incapable d’imposer la paix.
Notre analyse complète dans Le Monde diplomatique.
www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2025/10/GOWA...
Notre analyse complète dans Le Monde diplomatique.
www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2025/10/GOWA...
ONU, un anniversaire sous pression
Accès libre, en kiosques // par Richard Gowan (octobre 2025)
www.monde-diplomatique.fr
October 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
80 ans après sa naissance, l’ONU demeure une institution paradoxale : vitale pour des millions de vies, mais incapable d’imposer la paix.
Notre analyse complète dans Le Monde diplomatique.
www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2025/10/GOWA...
Notre analyse complète dans Le Monde diplomatique.
www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2025/10/GOWA...
Reposted by Richard Gowan
Great piece. Darwin was done dirty in the film version.
October 24, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Great piece. Darwin was done dirty in the film version.
Reposted by Richard Gowan
"The history of the U.N. at least offers a reminder that, even absent reform of the charter, it can adapt to new realities and shifting power dynamics."
Great stuff as always from @richardgowan1.bsky.social.
Great stuff as always from @richardgowan1.bsky.social.
The ability to shape-shift has been key to the U.N.’s resilience for the past 80 years. Today, the world organization will have to tap into that ability once again, @richardgowan1.bsky.social writes.
Once Again, the U.N. Will Have to Adapt to Survive
The U.N. will have to tap into its ability to shape-shift, which has been key to its resilience for the past 80 years.
www.worldpoliticsreview.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:10 PM
"The history of the U.N. at least offers a reminder that, even absent reform of the charter, it can adapt to new realities and shifting power dynamics."
Great stuff as always from @richardgowan1.bsky.social.
Great stuff as always from @richardgowan1.bsky.social.