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Author: Michael R. Snyder

by Michael R. Snyder

Michael R. Snyder is is an independent analyst and researcher.
More articles by this author → Follow @msnydz1

  • Gambian Gamble: Rare Intervention a Win for African Democracy

    January 25, 2017by John L. Hirsch and Michael R. Snyder

    Barrow’s victory now adds him to the list of freely elected rulers in West Africa, alongside President Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, President Akufo-Addo of Ghana, and President Sall of Senegal.

    Analysisafrica, elections
  • To Meet Superbug Threat, UN Can’t Be Resistant to Change

    September 9, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    Like climate change, antimicrobial resistance is a slow-burning crisis whose greatest impacts may not be felt for years to come.

    Analysishealth-and-security, united-nations
  • US Hurdles Could Slow Global Zika Response

    August 5, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    The success of the global campaign against Zika may now depend on how the US strategy evolves in response to its own domestic threat.

    Analysisamericas, health-and-security
  • Will Humanitarian Summit Put People or Politics First?

    May 23, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    At this stage, any hope for substantive progress resulting from the WHS likely rests with aid groups themselves. It is worth remembering that the WHS was never intended to be a state-centric instrument like the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which commit countries to clear and measured progress towards a concrete set of targets.

    Analysishumanitarian, united-nations
  • Can Secretary-General Seal His Legacy at Humanitarian Summit?

    March 16, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    With the first ever World Humanitarian Summit approaching in May in Istanbul, can the Secretary-General help shape the global humanitarian agenda?

    Analysishumanitarian, united-nations
  • Tracking a Virus: Satellites Aid in Fight Against Zika

    March 8, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    In experimental studies, researchers are harnessing high-resolution satellite imagery and geographic information systems (GIS) to map, measure, and control the spread of mosquitoes that may carry Zika, dengue fever, and other harmful diseases.

    Analysishealth-and-security, technology
  • War on Disease? Zika Sheds Light on Growing Military Role in Global Health

    February 5, 2016by Michael R. Snyder

    This Zika response isn’t the first time in recent history that non-civilian actors have been called upon to assist in public health emergencies.

    Analysisamericas, health-and-security
  • WHO Under Microscope on Ebola, but Is Reform Likely?

    December 2, 2015by Michael R. Snyder

    A new report calls the Ebola epidemic “a human tragedy that exposed a global community altogether unprepared.”

    Analysisafrica, health-and-security
  • Hospital Attack Highlights Humanitarian System’s Weaknesses

    October 23, 2015by Michael R. Snyder

    Where the UN sees an opportunity to carry out its humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding activities as part of an integrated approach, MSF and other NGOs have warned that such efforts could compromise the fundamental humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence and direct resources towards long-term rather than acute needs.

    Analysishumanitarian
  • Ebola Surprises Lead UN to Take Stock of Global Health Norms

    September 21, 2015by Michael R. Snyder

    As the prospect of an Ebola-free world becomes more likely, public health experts are taking stock of the crisis and examining lessons learned in order to prevent a catastrophic epidemic on this scale from re-occurring.

    Analysisafrica, health-and-security
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This week

  • A New Agenda for Peace and the Climate Emergency

    September 25, 2023by Cedric de Coning, Gracsious Maviza and Kheira Tarif

    The New Agenda for Peace serves as a stark warning that the damage being done now will have significant implications for humanity’s future wellbeing, safety, and stability.

    Analysisclimate-change, new-agenda-for-peace
  • “A New Agenda for Peace” Interview with UN Director Asif R. Khan

    September 15, 2023by Jenna Russo

    Asif R. Khan, Director of UNDPPA’s Policy and Mediation Division and a lead penholder of the New Agenda for Peace, reflects on the policy brief and next steps ahead of the Summit of the Future.

    Interviewsnew-agenda-for-peace

Trending

  • The Role of African Multilateralism in the New Agenda for Peace

    September 13, 2023by Bitania Tadesse

    The New Agenda for Peace provides an opening for continental actors to advance priorities at the global level. However, this requires the AU to deliver on revamping its own multilateral system as a springboard to reforming global multilateralism.

    Analysisafrica, multilateralism, new-agenda-for-peace
  • WPS in the New Agenda for Peace: Seeing Patriarchy but Missing Innovation

    September 11, 2023by Phoebe Donnelly

    Bold language on transforming patriarchy is not matched with concrete proposals to advance the WPS agenda and gender equality more broadly.

    Analysisnew-agenda-for-peace, women-peace-and-security
  • The New Agenda and Peace Operations: Don’t Bet Against the Future

    September 7, 2023by Arthur Boutellis

    There seems to be a disconnect between the overall diagnosis of the New Agenda for Peace and its prescriptions for peace operations.

    Analysisnew-agenda-for-peace, peacekeeping, united-nations
  • “New Agenda for Peace” Outlines Reform for UN’s Fracturing Multilateral Governance

    September 6, 2023by Maya Ungar

    The New Agenda for Peace sets a clear vision for reforms, but does not go into the details on how to achieve them. This cautious approach is a reflection of the secretary-general’s belief that it is the role of the UN to support—not make—the decisions of member states. 

    Analysismultilateralism, new-agenda-for-peace, un-reform
  • What Can We Say about the Emerging Feminist Foreign Policies in Latin America?

    September 5, 2023by Daniela Sepúlveda Soto and Evyn Papworth

    The adoption of FFPs in Latin America is an opportunity to see how the region reimagines international feminist agendas and translates local feminist advocacy to the international arena.

    Analysisamericas, women-peace-and-security
  • BRICS and the West: Don’t Believe the Cold War Hype

    August 30, 2023by Cedric de Coning

    Many Western countries and BRICS members may have more shared interests than the doomsday headlines suggest.

    Analysisbrics, multilateralism
  • What Could a Successful Summit of the Future Look Like in 2024?

    August 24, 2023by Adam Day

    The next generation deserves a renewed effort to make the Summit of the Future a success.

    Analysismultilateralism, united-nations
  • Civil Society Engagement with the United Nations on Counterterrorism–A Perilous, Uphill Challenge

    August 3, 2023by Annabelle Bonnefont and Franziska Praxl-Tabuchi

    Even though civil society has been impacted by the UN counterterrorism architecture, opportunities for a broad range of civil society actors to meaningfully engage with counterterrorism programming and policy-making remain limited at best.

    Analysiscivil-society, terrorism, united-nations
  • The MINUSMA Liquidation Process Unpacked 

    July 24, 2023by Eugene Chen

    The difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali will be exacerbated by the lack of preparation and tension with the host government.

    Analysisminusma, peacekeeping
  • MINUSMA’s Termination and the Future of Protection in Mali

    July 21, 2023by Josh Jorgensen

    A peacekeeping transition that mitigates the risks to civilians to the greatest extent possible is the UN’s best chance to continue implementing the principles of the Charter.

    Analysisminusma, peacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • The Primacy of Geopolitics: Five Lessons from the UN’s Involvement in Mali

    July 12, 2023by Víctor Casanova Abós

    The primacy of geopolitics can no longer be ignored.

    Analysisminusma, peacekeeping
  • Should the Security Council Engage with Implications of Climate Change? Let’s Look at the Scientific Evidence

    June 8, 2023by Halvard Buhaug, Cedric de Coning, and Nina von Uexkull

    Contrary to perceptions, there is compelling scientific evidence in the IPCC’s AR6 report that climate change constitutes a risk to peace and security.

    Analysisclimate-change, security-council
  • Pakistan’s Flood Problem Is Supercharged by Climate Change. Recovery Means Going Beyond Damage Control

    June 6, 2023by Emil Marc Havstrup and Pieter Pauw

    Pakistan could become a vanguard of climate resilience, but it faces tremendous hurdles.

    Analysisclimate-change
  • China’s Small Steps into UN Peacekeeping Are Adding Up

    May 24, 2023by Courtney J. Fung

    China will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • As UN Missions Draw Down, Strengthening Community-Led Approaches to Protection of Civilians

    May 23, 2023by Gay Rosenblum-Kumar

    UN mission transitions still result in gaps in the protection of civilians experiencing violent conflict.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Human Survival Depends on Biodiversity: Interview with Brad Cardinale

    May 22, 2023by Jill Stoddard

    Brad Cardinale, an ecologist who focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural systems discusses the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

    Interviewsbiodiversity, climate-change, ecology
  • Be a Feminist Everywhere: Interview with Tània Verge Mestre

    April 14, 2023By Jill Stoddard and Eimer Curtin

    The Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat de Catalunya shares lessons on implementing equality policies and creating a feminist future from her experiences as a policymaker, political scientist, and activist.

    Interviewswomen-peace-and-security
  • Sharing the Pen in the UN Security Council: A Win for Inclusive Multilateralism?

    April 7, 2023by Julie Gregory

    Greater sharing of the pen within the Security Council could help mend perceptions of partiality and facilitate more inclusivity.

    Analysismultilateralism, security-council
  • Addressing Gender Bias to Achieve Ethical AI

    March 17, 2023by Ardra Manasi, Subadra Panchanadeswaran, and Emily Sours

    For AI to be ethical and be a vehicle for the common good, it needs to eliminate any explicit and implicit biases, including on the gender front.

    Analysistechnology
  • Do People Trust the UN? A Look at the Data

    February 22, 2023by Albert Trithart and Olivia Case

    Survey data does not reveal a major, widespread drop in the UN’s legitimacy over the past few years.

    Analysismultilateralism, united-nations

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The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on peace and security issues by experts, journalists, and policymakers. It is published by the International Peace Institute. The views expressed here represent those of the contributors and not IPI.

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