Iraq War’s lessons for Syria

By: Zalmay Khalilzad  The Iraq war holds important lessons for the ongoing civil war in Syria. But with some calling for greater U.S. involvement to tackle the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), one thing should be clear from the U.S. intervention in Iraq, namely that state institutions, and the armed forces in particular, really matter. …

The U.N. at 70

By: Zalmay Khalilzad On the 70th anniversary of its founding, the United Nations remains a potentially important actor in the world. While it has accomplished much as an institution, it has serious limitations and faces significant threats to its future. The United Nations was established to prevent interstate aggression and wars between the great powers. War has not taken place between …

U.N. not fixing Syria crisis anytime soon

By: Zalmay Khalilzad This year’s U.N. General Assembly meeting has been clarifying in at least one respect: the conflict in Syria will not be resolved by the United Nations anytime soon. The exchange between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the U.N. General Assembly debate this week made clear that the Security Council is fundamentally divided on …