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UN is good at giving the world a room!
The harder question is what happens when the world leaves that room without an answer.
As another week of diplomacy unfolds along the East River, the gap between what is said, what is heard, and what actually changes deserves a closer look...
East River Manhattan is buzzing with diplomatic activity. But it has been months we all are waiting for a diplomatic breakthrough.
Until it arrives, let me revert your attention to the headlines of the 80th UN General Assembly this very month last year.
A cluster of countries, including many in Europe, recognized the state of Palestine in and around the General Debate.
The state of Palestine which was barred from and is blocked still from attending the most awaited, most inclusive dialogue of the year - the United Nations General Debate.
As the host country, the United States apparently cannot do that but it has. Sounds familiar?
Palestine, and Gaza to be precise, invoked a big moral outcry which echoed through the halls of the United Nations headquarters.
And then came a rather sheepishly creative Peace Plan and a Board of Peace, turning the vocabulary to terms like recovery, investment, fund, reconstruction.
But one term that did not appear was “accountability.”
“Some boast of a supposed peace” - this was Macron referring to Trump who stood on the same podium just hours ago, on the first day of the General Debate this year.
Peace is elusive and so is accountability. And this is not just true for Gaza and Palestine but for most of the world problems and conflicts the UN takes upon itself to highlight and deliberate.
But who is listening, who holds power abusers accountable, and who dispenses justice?
“The world is bigger than five.” - this was Erdogan making a reference to the United Nations Security Council.
The Council that has precisely turned accountability into a frozen machinery, and that which draws the most criticism whenever and wherever UN reforms are talked about.
When the Secretary General himself points out that the biggest continent Africa does not have a permanent seat on the Security Council, we know we have a problem (No wonders since it was just this month the General Assembly adopted the “Correct the Map” resolution)
“The story of power. Who has it. Who is denied it. How it is used. And how it is changing.” - this was SG António Guterres as he reflected on the many crises we collectively face today.
And what better example than the question of regulating Artificial Intelligence!
A document/declaration that calls for stronger international oversight over the development of AI was brought to the UN by Norway and Finland.
While it remains open to further endorsements, its current signatories are somewhere over 20.
Speaking again of creativity, Mr. President thinks a new name - Super Intelligence - will help diffuse the paranoia. But regulations certainly wouldn’t??
The UN system then faces existential quandaries of its own while the victims of power turn to it asking, Who Is Listening?
And for all those awaiting a diplomatic breakthrough,
“Tehran wants a deal, just without looking like it got pushed into one.” - this was Pezeshkian offering a time-bound relief to the oil market but maintaining its long-held position.
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1. Trump Welcomes Xi to Washington for High-Stakes Trade Talks​
When the world’s two biggest economies pause their rivalry, even a temporary truce becomes a global economic signal!
Trump and Xi’s Washington meeting extends the US-China trade truce to January 10 while putting tariffs, critical minerals, AI and wider security tensions back at the center of their relationship.
2. Researchers Used Anthropic’s Claude to Breach OpenAI Systems in Under 72 Hours​
The new cybersecurity frontier may not be human versus machine, but one AI system being used to test the defenses of another!
Three researchers used Claude to chain vulnerabilities in OpenAI’s systems and reach sensitive internal infrastructure in under 72 hours, highlighting how rapidly AI is turning complex cyber research into an operational capability.
3. Trump Signs Sweeping Russia Sanctions Law​
Sanctions are no longer aimed only at Moscow; they increasingly reach the countries and networks that keep its energy trade moving!
The new US law targets Russian energy, financial and defense networks while giving Washington authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially widening the economic consequences far beyond Russia.
4. Pakistan Among Asia’s Worst-Hit Countries by LNG Disruptions​
For energy-importing states, geography can become an economic vulnerability overnight!
With Qatar and the UAE supplying about 99% of Pakistan’s LNG and roughly 30% of its gas supply dependent on LNG, the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has exposed how concentrated supply chains can turn a regional crisis into a domestic energy problem.
5. Ukraine Attacks Moscow with 1600 Drones on Last Day of Russian Elections​
In modern warfare, the battlefield can reach the ballot box without a single soldier crossing a border!
Ukraine launched its largest reported drone assault on Moscow as Russia’s parliamentary elections entered their final day, with Russian authorities claiming more than 1,600 drones intercepted and strikes damaging an oil refinery; the timing fused military pressure, critical infrastructure and political symbolism.
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Conversation With a Diplomat
Exclusive Interview with Ambassador Khayyam Akbar
Former Ambassador of Pakistan to Spain & Andorra
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1. Wuhan Hosts Peace Day Event Highlighting Dialogue, Global Cooperation​
Wuhan’s International Day of Peace event brought more than 300 participants from 60 countries together around dialogue, political solutions to disputes, and cooperation on shared challenges such as public health and climate change.
2. Voices from Six Continents Come Together as Moscow Hosts II World Public Assembly​
The Second World Public Assembly in Moscow brought more than 5,000 participants from over 150 countries into discussions on trust, historical memory, culture, youth, science and AI, while an SCO-focused panel examined how people-to-people engagement can turn shared principles into practical cooperation.
3. US Trade Official Luke Lindberg Appointed to Lead UN World Food Program​
Luke Lindberg, a senior US agricultural official and former Trump administration nominee, has been appointed WFP Executive Director as the agency confronts acute food insecurity affecting an estimated 266 million people and major funding pressures.
4. D-8 Chief Calls for Greater Economic, Health Cooperation at Forums in China​
At the Boao Forum for Asia and Global Health Forum in Haikou, D-8 Secretary-General Sohail Mahmood linked regional integration, supply-chain resilience, digital innovation and global health governance, while pushing for stronger practical connections between the D-8’s nine members and wider Asian networks.
5. AU, IOM Push Closer Ties on Migration and Diaspora Investment at UNGA81​
At UNGA81, the African Union and IOM discussed safer migration pathways and migrant rights while highlighting diaspora investment, skills transfer and the AfCFTA’s potential to facilitate the movement of labor and expertise across Africa.
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Europe is starting to build the early scaffolding of its own deterrent around France's arsenal.
READ "Europe’s Nuclear Reckoning" HERE​
By Hammad Waleed
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The AI boom is a capital-allocation story.
READ "When AI Competes with Governments for Global Capital" HERE​
By Ircham Andrianto Taufick
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Could Rwanda be the gateway that lets Pakistan build a lasting business presence across Africa?
READ "Here’s Why Rwanda Is Pakistan’s Gateway to Africa" HERE​
By Aqsa Fazilat
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