To Save Us From Hell

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The major Financing for Development Conference wrapped up in Seville last week with the so-called Compromiso de Sevilla , which commits countries to accelerating efforts to fund the Sustainable Development Goals and support economic and social development in lower-income countries. In our first segment, we are j...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org Bombs are dropping in Iran and Israel, with no end in sight and the very real prospect that the United States might imminently join the fight. As a hot war unfolds in the Middle East, frantic diplomacy is also underway at both the United Nations and the IAEA. In the first (and free) segment, Mark and Anjali take...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The General Assembly selected five new members of the Security Council and one new President of the General Assembly this week in not-so-hotly contested elections. These new Security Council members will take their seats in January, and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will assume the PGA gavel a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org Discount subscription link for 40% Off --> https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff The UN is facing a major budget crunch. So how is it responding? One answer is UN80 —a reform effort championed by the Secretary-General aimed at reducing the cost of operating the world body. Some proposals are beginning to...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The race to succeed António Guterres is unofficially underway. His term as UN Secretary-General ends in December 2026, but the backroom jockeying has already begun. In this episode, Mark and Anjali are joined by Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group to break down the early contenders, how shifting geop...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org "Nobody wins in trade wars," said António Guterres as he left a UN Security Council meeting this week. But it’s clear there’s at least one big loser: American diplomacy. This week, Anjali and Mark break down how the Trump tariffs are rippling through the UN — and how they’re complicating diplomacy on issues that...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are two entities now squarely in the crosshairs of their once-strongest backer. Both agencies rely heavily on American funding—but with that funding now cut, they’re laying off staff by the thousands. Anjali and Mark discuss the impact of the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The Trump administration has turned the United Nations into a battleground in its war on gender equality. At the Commission on the Status of Women this week, the U.S. sought to block references to gender equality…in a conference dedicated to that very cause! Meanwhile, at the Security Council, the U.S. refused t...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org On Monday February 24, the General Assembly convened for a long-scheduled vote marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a stunning shift, the United States abandoned its European allies and abruptly sided with Russia in an attempt to block any condemnation of Russia’s aggression and any...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The Trump administration’s fight against DEI has come for the United Nations. In this episode of To Save Us From Hell , Anjali Dayal and Mark Leon Goldberg discuss what we are seeing unfold at the UN in terms of Trump’s push against inclusion and gender equity. These moves are already disrupting the regular orde...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org The major city of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is now under the control of a Rwanda-backed rebel group. UN peacekeepers in the area were unable to repel the assault but continue to play a key role in protecting civilians from violence. Meanwhile, the Security Council has held emergency...

In this special live recording of To Save Us From Hell , Anjali Dayal and I break down the highlights (and lowlights) from the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s pick as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise Stefanik, a member of Congress from New York and a staunch Donald Trump loyalist, did not project the hardcore MAGA vibes one might expect during her confirmation hearing. As Anjal...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org A new year. A new United Nations. In this 2025 debut episode of To Save Us From Hell, Anjali Dayal and I discuss what to expect in the year ahead at the United Nations. We cover a lot of ground—from the new composition of the UN Security Council to China’s new status as a major funder of the UN system, the chaos...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org It’s a new day in Damascus. But what about New York? For the last 14 years, the United Nations’ role in Syria has been relegated to the circumscribed (but vital) task of supporting the humanitarian needs of Syrians. Now, there is an opportunity for the UN and the broader international community to support Syria’...

We cover a lot of ground in this week’s free episode. Just hours before we recorded our conversation, the ICC issued formal arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Anjali Dayal and Mark Leon Goldberg explain what this means for the UN. We then travel to Baku for an update on COP29 before heading back to UN headquarters to discuss the latest US veto...

In this special post-election edition of To Save Us From Hell , Mark Leon Goldberg and Anjali Dayal explain what to expect — and what not to expect — from Donald Trump’s approach to the United Nations during the next four years. Will he burn Turtle Bay to the ground? Mostly ignore the UN? Cozy up to Russia at the Security Council? And will the next UN Ambassador be Anjali’s old Middle School class...

UNRWA is a unique humanitarian agency. It is both a humanitarian relief provider for millions of Palestinians across several countries, and in many places, it functions as a de facto municipal government, providing services like schools, healthcare, and trash collection. Together, UNRWA provides a social safety net for 2.5 million people in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. And now, all of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org UNRWA is a unique humanitarian agency. It is both a humanitarian relief provider for millions of Palestinians across several countries, and in many places, it functions as a de facto municipal government, providing services like schools, healthcare, and trash collection. Together, UNRWA provides a social safety...

The Israeli Defense Forces have continued their deliberate attacks on UN peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon, including an incident in which UNIFIL Blue Helmets were injured by white phosphorus, an incendiary chemical agent used by the Israeli army. Why does this keep happening, and what can make it stop? Meanwhile, António Guterres finds himself in hot water with the Ukrainians for his att...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org Over the last week, Israel has directly targeted the positions of UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon. Several peacekeepers have been injured, but none killed—yet. The real tragedy of these ongoing attacks against UNIFIL is that they are undermining the one entity that can provide an off-ramp to further escalation in Leb...

The UN Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states that serve three-year terms. They are elected to their seats by a vote in the General Assembly. Unlike most General Assembly votes, this one is done by secret ballot. On October 9, the UN General Assembly considered 19 candidates for 18 open seats on the Human Rights Council. The loser? Saudi Arabia. (Phew.) In this week’s episode of To Save...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org In the 79 years of the United Nations, no country has ever declared a UN Secretary General Persona Non-Grata—until now. On Wednesday, Israel made history when it PNG’d Antonio Guterres, saying he was no longer welcome to set foot on Israeli soil. The reason? In a statement condemning Iran’s attack on Israel, he...

It’s an annual UNGA tradition! For the umpteenth year in a row, Richard Gowan, Anjali Dayal, and I sit down for a wide-ranging chat about all things UNGA. Richard Gowan, of course, is the oft-quoted UN expert who serves as the UN Director of the International Crisis Group. The three of us caught up a few hours after Biden’s farewell UNGA address and spent a good portion of our conversation dissect...

Linda Thomas-Greenfield made big waves around the UN this week when she rolled out a new and rather detailed American proposal for reforming the staid United Nations Security Council. The proposal is quite concrete and would likely be popular among most of the 193 UN member states. But is this just a cynical ploy to curry favor with Africa and much of the developing world ahead of UNGA? And how co...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.org About 140 world leaders are scheduled to address the opening of the 79th United Nations General Assembly. That’s a lot of speeches! In today’s episode, co-hosts Mark Leon Goldberg and Anjali Dayal preview some of the most anticipated speeches of UNGA. From inspirational and high-minded addresses by moral heavywe...