Alan Doss
Alan Doss led several UN peacekeeping operations. He now chairs the advisory board of the Oxford Global Society and the Myanmar interest group of Diplomats without Borders. He is the author of "A Peacekeeper in Africa: Learning From UN Interventions in Other People's Wars."
As the United States seeks the endorsement of the United Nations Security Council for the Trump administration’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the failure of stabilization endeavors in such countries as Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo should …
- Categories: Israeli-Palestinian conflict, OPINIONS
The American war in Vietnam ended in 1975, nearly half a century ago. Its scars may have faded but they have not disappeared. They are potent reminders of the limits of military power to impose a political peace. I recalled …
- Categories: Israeli-Palestinian conflict, OPINIONS
Mark Twain once said: “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” Twain’s aphorism certainly applies to the United Nations’ relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been characterized by periodic episodes of contention and crisis. …
- Categories: Africa, OPINIONS, Security Council
Last year was tough for United Nations peacekeeping operations, especially in Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, local people demonstrated angrily against the perceived inability of peacekeepers to protect civilians in the east of the country. In Mali, …
- Categories: Africa, OPINIONS, UN Peacekeeping
In September, the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda took their allegations against each other over the resurgence of conflict in the eastern Congo to the United Nations General Assembly. I recall vividly similar claims and …
- Categories: Africa, OPINIONS, UN Peacekeeping
The Taliban’s dramatic takeover of Afghanistan in August sparked a predictable outpouring of angst and argument as to why it happened despite the massive, two-decade effort to prevent that result. Much of the commentary focused on the supposed failures of …
- Categories: Asia, OPINIONS, Peace and Security
GENEVA — One of the quiet pleasures of life is an early-morning cappuccino in the company of a good newspaper. That was before Covid-19 came along. The pandemic and resulting disruption of newspaper deliveries and shuttering of cafes has obliged …
- Categories: Development, OPINIONS, SDGs
GENEVA — In May 2016, Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general, received an unexpected request from a fellow Nobel peace laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader and state counselor. She asked him to lead a commission …
This year, two expansive — and expensive — international peace and security entities will pass a significant milestone. The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the NATO operation in Afghanistan have been deployed for …
- Categories: Africa, Asia, OPINIONS, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping
Recent events in Hong Kong should alert those people who hope that economic development can lead to democratic change. A few weeks ago, the territory’s fragile democratic order took another hit when opposition members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council resigned …
- Categories: Asia, Governance, Human Rights, OPINIONS
GENEVA — Three days before the recent, highly contentious United States presidential election occurred, another one was held in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire. The two elections provide interesting comparisons and contrasts. The US and Côte d’Ivoire are …
- Categories: Africa, Governance, OPINIONS
GENEVA — The first time I set foot in the United States was just before the 1968 presidential election, when I joined the United Nations in New York City as a young staffer in the development aid program. I arrived …
- Categories: Governance, OPINIONS, US Foreign Relations
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