Richard Gowan
@RichardGowan1
Followers
46,947
Following
4,057
Media
1,887
Statuses
51,535
UN Director @crisisgroup , with long history of UN-watching @ecfr , @nyuCIC , @UNUCPR & @WPReview
New York
Joined August 2011
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
محمد
• 607124 Tweets
namjoon
• 381772 Tweets
メイドの日
• 218883 Tweets
WIN NESPRESSO SUMMER
• 142634 Tweets
メイドさん
• 89411 Tweets
علي النبي
• 78968 Tweets
メイド服
• 69014 Tweets
#ArvindKejriwal
• 57186 Tweets
अरविंद केजरीवाल
• 53123 Tweets
太陽フレア
• 39433 Tweets
Hayırlı Cumalar
• 39045 Tweets
#يوم_الجمعه
• 37910 Tweets
通信障害
• 33488 Tweets
#それスノ
• 31230 Tweets
चुनाव प्रचार
• 29915 Tweets
オーロラ
• 28374 Tweets
ポケミク
• 28190 Tweets
Lunin
• 20647 Tweets
マスターソード
• 18081 Tweets
アフターエポックス
• 13177 Tweets
天保江戸
• 12835 Tweets
group Debut Tour
• 10339 Tweets
Last Seen Profiles
Pinned Tweet
OK, what do I really think of
#UNGA
?
Pre-recording an interview on
#UNG78
with
@sherwiebp
this morning, I went a little off script.
(Only joking 😉)
38
18
152
Inside sources tell me that
@bts_bighit
spent hours recording a video in
@UN
today for
#UNGA
. Those boys work hard.
If you're a
@BTS_twt
fan, try to stay calm and read what
#UNGA76
is all about
@CrisisGroup
!
We work hard too. But dance less well.
185
10K
27K
Pretty remarkable statistics around viewing figures for
#UNGA
speeches:
*
@BTS_twt
: 6.4 million views
@YouTube
*
@antonioguterres
: 5,300 views
*
@BorisJohnson
: 3,500 views
#JHOPE
>
#BoJo
...
170
6K
21K
Europe.
Where else can you see the Eiffel Tower, take a private gondola ride, and eat the finest cuisine, all in a weekend?
290
104
697
44
2K
6K
OK, *all*
#UNGA76
tweets must now be prefaced by a
@bts_bighit
GIF.
This year’s
#UNGA
will still be overshadowed by the
#COVID19
pandemic, but that won’t stop leaders from addressing urgent global challenges.
Korean superstars, and friends of the UN,
@bts_bighit
will be also performing live during the hybrid event.
177
12K
26K
60
993
4K
Finland now just trolling all other democracies.
What a picture !!!
Joint press conference after the second round of the 🇫🇮presidential elections.
Finns know how important it is to avoid generating divisions/polarisation in society. This is very important in today's times.
@minna_alander
I've always wondered: How do you do it?
28
146
1K
11
163
1K
Good speech from
#Biden
at
#UNGA
. 5 main takeaways:
(1) POTUS handled the
#Afghanistan
issue well. Didn't duck it but didn't dwell on it. Pivoted effectively to broader threats like
#COVID19
and
#ClimateCrisis
. [1/5]
25
263
1K
With Belgian farmers seizing French territory and UK warships ready to fight for
#Jersey
, can the Fifth Republic survive an imminent two front war?
35
258
1K
(5) Overall, it's actually just weird to hear a US president give a good speech
@UN
again. Sort of brings home exactly how godawful the other guy's were... [ENDS].
27
128
913
Kenya effectively asking why African nations have to put up with post-colonial borders, but Russia does not.
This is powerful stuff, and will make
@USUN
-- which has Russia's actions as colonialism at start of UNSC meeting -- happy, although there is a tacit Iraq reference too.
13
205
789
In my experience, you cannot find a humanitarian official who think air drops are a good idea except in the last-last-last resort.
The White House is examining options to begin airdropping aid into Gaza as the humanitarian situation worsens & famine sets in, esp. in Gaza's north, which is isolated. The US Air Force has vast air cargo capacity to effectively airdrop food & aid, saturating the Strip with help.
140
138
682
34
201
767
Incredibly moving photo of a "UN expert" mourning the lack of in-person meetings at
#UNGA
, captured by
@lemasurierjess
on steps of
@UN
this afternoon.
🇺🇳💔
78
70
704
This week the
@UN
#SecurityCouncil
holds closed door meetings on
#Tigray
and
#Myanmar
. Such meetings can lead to false hopes that the UNSC will unify and fix a crisis.
As I explain in a new report
@UNUCPR
, that's not how most UNSC diplomacy works [1/6]
66
432
696
Kenya (which abstained on 31/1/22 UNSC meeting on
#Ukraine
) is suddenly taking a *very* hard line. Condemns Putin's declaration in very strong terms.
Framing situation in eastern Ukraine in terms similar to Africa's post-colonial border tensions... [1/2 on Kenya.]
12
163
685
Goodbye
#UNGA
. I have made it as a
@BTS_twt
/
@bts_bighit
commentator in 🇰🇷 My new life begins today.
#jhopeArticles
🐿📰
New articles about j-hope speech at the
#UNGA
and the post
@RichardGowan1
did on Twitter
Naver
🔶
Daum
🔶
🎯3K before 3PM KST | Use the 2nd 😆 Like, recommend, share and do auto-blog
#jhope
#제이홉 #ホソク
0
35
116
12
152
622
The
#UNSC
came agonisingly close to passing a resolution on humanitarian assistance (and a humanitarian pause) to
#Gaza
this week.
@Brazil_UN_NY
did solid work negotiating the text, and made a lot of concessions along the way. [1/3]
9
238
551
@ThomasMaddens
@columlynch
@BTS_twt
@YouTube
@antonioguterres
@BorisJohnson
@BarackObama
In fairness, Obama's last speech to
#UNGA
5 years ago has been viewed over 500,000 times. If he gets ~6 million more views, he'll catch up with what
@BTS_twt
got in the last 5 days.
4
57
510
It is so, so easy to dump on this.
But remember that once the diplomats have evacuated and the world's attention wanes...
@UN
agencies like
@unicef
will be left as the main channel of aid to
#Afghanistan
.
And they will need to maintain some very difficult relationships indeed.
UNICEF 'quite optimistic' after Taliban comments on girls' education, official says
799
407
2K
5
115
460
British defence minister explains UK will defend Finland and Sweden because many Brits are “descended from Vikings anyhow, so we have that cultural link”.
This overlooks the fact that Finns were not Vikings, and Vikings thought Finns were scary witches.
57
57
444
"If you look at the UN Charter, it CLEARLY says that 'in decisions under Chapter VI, and under paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting'." And there IS a PRECEDENT which is the 1947 Corfu Channel case, BUT THE P5 DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT."
10
52
420
Canada has the third biggest ethnically Ukrainian population in the world, after Ukraine and Russia.
4
70
373
Mexico (3rd non-NATO speaker on Ukraine in UNSC) does call out Russia -- a little more gingerly than NATO members but by name -- and talks about Ukrainian sovereignty. Notably firmer than India and Brazil, although also pivoting to diplomacy and dialogue.
3
64
360
Brazil expresses "extreme concern" about Ukraine in
#UNSC
, and calls for diplomacy for peace. Does raise sovereign equality of states and territorial integrity.
Avoids using the word "Russia".
8
57
353
Here is an amazing
#UnitedNations
story that I am ashamed I never knew. This week,
@GermanyUN
opened the curtains of the
#SecurityCouncil
chamber overlooking the East River.
@SCProcedure
explains why these are almost always kept closed. It involves
#CheGuevara
& a
#bazooka
! [1/6]
13
217
359
Careful. NATO Article V commits members to assist a party that is attacked by "such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force" but there is no obligation to use force.
This is a serious (and sad) moment but triggers nothing automatically, let alone WWIII.
25
155
344
Why on earth am I listening to Syria's opinions on the Human Rights Council? What am I doing with my life?
23
21
335
These
#Taliban
fighters have the dazed look of men who have just stumbled on thousands of files about
#Norway
's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Taliban has now taken over the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul. Say they will return it to us later. But first wine bottles are to be smashed and childrens’ books destroyed. Guns apparently less dangerous. Foto: Aftenposten, Norway
2K
8K
24K
10
43
327
This news comes one day before India runs (unopposed) for an Asian seat on the
@UN
Security Council. Could foreshadow some pretty tense UNSC diplomacy ahead, both before and after India takes up its seat...
Deadliest clash on the China-India border since 1967, or in over 50 years. This will likely be a watershed moment in India-China relations.
28
511
961
15
135
309
RIP Sir Brian Urquhart. Very few individuals, many SGs included, did so much to shape
@UN
and
@UNPeacekeeping
.
6
108
306
One big focus for
@antonioguterres
,
@usun
and indeed
@CrisisGroup
this year has been the
#Tigray
crisis.
Watch out for a new ICG report on
#Ethiopia
this week, with more ideas on what
@UN
do to halt the war and
#TigrayFamine
.
#UNDay
[8/11]
28
175
210
Trump has lost the IR Scholars. If he loses the Comparative Literature Scholars, he’s toast.
Statement of IR Scholars on Trump Administration Foreign Policy Failures: We Need New Leadership
0
16
43
6
41
295
With Sean Connery and John Le Carré gone this year, we've lost the two men who shaped (i) 99% of what people think they know about spies; but also (ii) quite a lot of what people think they know about post-war British identity.
13
31
269
There is much lamenting
@UN
that the Guernica tapestry outside the
#UNSC
chamber has gone.
I would suggest that to replace it
@antonioguterres
commission a rotating series of pieces by artists from
#Bosnia
,
#Rwanda
,
#Aleppo
, etc to help focus UNSC diplomats' minds going forward.
Nelson Rockefeller Jr. has reclaimed the iconic Guernica tapestry that has hung outside the UN 🇺🇳 Security Council since the 1980s.
Before, and after (photo by
@tobyburns1
).
13
57
85
10
76
263
There is much to be skeptical about, but hearing that
@irishmissionun
&
@MexOnu
were pretty crucial to getting this language into the UNSCR. If P5 had been left to their own devices, there might have been no reference to women's rights at all. So well done
#Mexico
and
#Ireland
.
Afghanistan: With Russia and China abstaining, the UN Security Council "reaffirms the importance of upholding human rights including those of women, children and minorities" and "expects" the Taliban to abide by its commitments to allow Afghans and foreign nationals to leave.
24
140
238
12
81
256
As everyone
@CrisisGroup
breathes a very big sigh of relief, particular thanks to two former
@UN
diplomats who spoke up for our colleague
#MichaelKovrig
in the
#UNSC
:
@AmbassadorAllen
(
@UKUN_NewYork
) & Christoph Heusgen (
@GermanyUN
). It wasn't cost free, but it mattered.
1
31
254
UAE calls for minimising civilian harm in
#Ukraine
, calls for diplomacy, refers to sovereignty and territorial integrity as important principles, but does not call out Russia for violating them by name.
6
43
248
There is one tiny flaw in this argument. See if you can find it.
FM
#Lavrov
: The goal of Russia’s special military operation is to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there.
20K
966
3K
17
29
246
Last week was a significant (and worrying) one for those who watch U.S./Western interactions with
#China
and the
#UnitedNations
, for three reasons.
[1/5]
3
87
243
Incredibly sad to hear of the death of Jim Kelly,
@irishmissionun
's DPR.
A brilliant diplomat, a very thoughtful observer of the UN, and just a lovely man.
17
22
250
It seems increasingly likely that mankind will colonise Space before the
#UNSC
votes on this resolution.
7
55
248
To understand why the UAE abstained on today's
#UNSC
#Ukraine
resolution, keep in mind that it is focused on another SC resolution (next week) involving sanctions against the
#Houthis
in
#Yemen
. And it needs Russia's support for that...
Hmm I was off by one — UAE’s abstention is a surprise to me. Still, China’s abstention instead of a double veto doesn’t exactly showcase the Moscow-Beijing partnership
6
14
39
7
135
237
China says less about
#Ukraine
than any other
#UNSC
member tonight.
It's not exactly a pro-Russia stance, but it's definitely *not* the anti-Russia stance
@UN
some Western commentators thought possible (see
@just_security
).
15
89
235
People are saying nice things about Philadelphia in Brooklyn. This really is historic.
Sounds like the Mets just won the World Series here in Brooklyn
0
4
28
1
34
242
The number of diplomats on
@Twitter
complaining that "The Diplomat" is not 100% accurate is puzzling.
Do diplomats watch "Rambo" or "The Expendables" and think, "well this is a touching and true-to-life portrayal of the life of a mercenary, because actors never lie"?
27
20
230
Outgoing UNSC members Incoming UNSC members
(With affection and respect to both!).
10
13
232
But some big non-Western
#UNSC
members (Brazil, India and UAE) seemed to want to frame this as a local problem requiring dialogue, not a global crisis.
And China just didn't know what to say at all... [ENDS.]
14
47
211
This is one paragraph from the *250 pages* of edits on the
@UN
"Pact for the Future".
This is also why multilateral diplomacy is bad for your health.
14
55
223
Twist: That job is as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform.
Keri Russell will star in & exec produce The Diplomat, an 8-ep political thriller where she'll play a career diplomat who lands a high-profile job she's unsuited for in the midst of an international crisis, creating tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.
117
224
3K
17
13
220
It takes imagination to offend British Muslims, the Orange Order and... most British people... all at once.
Home Secretary says that pro-Palestinian marches are really marches of violent Islamist Nazis. And that such marches are more typical of Northern Ireland. And that the police has to crack down hard. And that it should treat them worse than football fans.
14
26
88
15
57
218
Really excited to release my new
@CrisisGroup
briefing on reforming the
#UnitedNations
by giving toddlers a greater voice in
#UNSC
diplomacy.
26
32
219
EU SC members plus Norway and the UK just released their first ever joint statement at the
#UNSC
. Good to see this European cooperation.
But not sure "EUNUK" is going to catch on an acronym.
8
41
218
Foreign policy analyst personalty test.
Here are 4 photos from international summit meetings from the last 3-4 days.
The one that you think tells us most about the future of international affairs will tell you what sort of foreign policy wonk you are.
47
45
214
So UNSG Antonio Guterres is going to
#Moscow
and he will see Putin.
This is a positive step, as Putin was not taking the SG's calls after he condemned the
#RussianInvasion
of
#Ukraine
.
But the trip raises some tricky issues. [1/6]
16
94
209
Congrats to
@NorwayUN
and
@irishmissionun
on securing
#UNSC
seats today. But huge respect to
@CanadaUN
for coming remarkably close after a late start.
@UN
diplomats agree that
@blanchardCanada
and co. have campaigned very well. The narrow margin today is a testament to that.
5
42
208
My 5-year old this morning: "The United Nations makes the world a better place."
Her 3-year old sister: "THE DRAGON IS COMING GET IN YOUR CASTLE."
So we've pretty much covered the Foundations of International Relations Theory chez Gowan.
8
5
209
(4)
#Biden
at his best rhetorically on
#democracy
: Framing it in terms of street activists in
#Belarus
and
#Sudan
, effectively putting the era of "democratisation by force" behind him. [4/5]
4
28
203
Due to the time this news broke, a lot of
@CrisisGroup
colleagues probably still don't know
#MichaelKovrig
is free.
If you know any ICG colleagues, anywhere, tweet or email them now. This has been a huge drain for all of us. And today is a very happy day.
3
24
199
Over the last two years, we've revitalized the partnership between the EU and the U.S.
Together, we'll continue to address our most pressing global challenges – including strengthening our economic security and standing with Ukraine against tyranny and Israel against terrorism.
7K
3K
12K
10
34
202
Pretty striking to see
@antonioguterres
respond to today's
#UNSC
#Gaza
resolution with barely-concealed skepticism, repeating his call for a ceasefire.
He then went on to emphasise (in Q&A) that
#Israel
is a greater obstacle to aid deliveries than
#Hamas
. [1/2]
An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security; staff who can work in safety; logistical capacity; and the resumption of commercial activity.
These four elements do not exist.
-
@antonioguterres
talks to reporters about the situation in the
#Gaza
&
#Israel
131
133
232
7
106
193
Following last week's
#UNSC
statement on
#MyanmarCoup
(🧵 👇) the
#MyanmarMilitary
ratcheted up violence again.
What does the UNSC do now?
The onus is on
@Chinamission2un
to show it can restrain the junta - if it can't/won't, we may enter a more toxic round of
@UN
diplomacy.
This week, the
#UNSC
agreed a statement on the
#MyanmarMilitaryCoup
(without using the word "coup") calling on the junta to stop attacking civilians.
Here's a bunch of my comments. I told
@RichardRothCNN
it's a "minor miracle" the UNSC agreed a text [1/4]
7
46
58
17
183
192
Yeah, but my job *is* thinking about the Security Council.
If you ever feel useless, think about the UN Security Council
29
4K
7K
4
8
191
The glamorous life of the
@CrisisGroup
@UN
director: A quick clean before we host our first in-person meeting in
#NYC
since March 2020 (pho credit:
@AshishSPradhan
).
14
4
190
When the history of this sad moment is written, IR theory will not feature in it either way.
The fall of Kabul is not just a defeat for an entire era and swathe of of liberal IR theory, but also for critical IR, that has added nothing to the liberals except more hand-wringing about women's and children's rights, funding for a few more NGOs and theoretical esoterica
7
54
245
7
15
188
I talked to
@CDAInstitute
about the
#UnitedNations
and
#UkraineUnderAtta
сk. How has the war reshaped the
#UNSC
? Is serious
@UN
reform on the horizon?
5
36
169
(2) Biden's message
@UN
on
#COVID19
and
#ClimateCrisis
was simple: These crises are getting worse and only the US can lead you through them (much as I predicted
@POLITICOMag
yesterday). [2/5]
5
28
178
The
#UNGA76
Credentials Committee has to decide who (if anyone) represents
#Myanmar
and
#Afghanistan
@UN
.
But I tell
@rickgladstone
@nytimes
that Committee members "will indulge in what we might call creative procrastination" and defer these hard choices.
21
83
170
Sorry to see
@ambtstirumurti
leave
@UN
. An excellent sparring partner!
Farewell call on UN Secretary General
@antonioguterres
where I thanked him for his strong support during my tenure at
@IndiaUNNewYork
47
99
1K
2
6
169
As I was starting a two hour online lecture today, my 5 year old popped her head round the door to note "I am not listening to your boring talk", which was encouraging.
12
3
174
Want to write about
#multilateralism
? Don't want to send your readers to sleep? After 6 years of writing about
@UN
for
@WPReview
, I have two tips about how to make boring diplomacy mildly interesting:
4
57
174
@USUN
Following the disputed
#hospitalattack
yesterday, this window for compromise closed.
The US wanted a delay, and vetoed the resolution today. Now the
#UNGA
may step in.
The
#UNSC
will continue to debate, but it has lost a rare chance to find (a little) common ground. [3/3]
4
48
174
I thought
@UN
could no longer surprise or depress me. I was wrong. It seems you can now buy
#UnitedNations
branded
#aromatherapy
candles that smell like "peace".
For $51 dollars.
Obviously aromatherapy is what’s been missing from my research on the UN.
27
71
460
18
69
171
The chief meets the chief. Great to accompany
@EroComfort
to meet
@antonioguterres
@UN
yesterday. We were promised 10 minutes, but got 40 🙏
6
20
169
Wise and strong words from the last country to burn the Capitol.
Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.
21K
31K
187K
4
26
162
The real problem here is not Hancock’s (I suspect good faith if ill-judged) attempt to join the UN, but the widespread habit of Western governments to use the UN as a parking lot for politicians who need time away or rehabilitation. It messes up UN senior appointments frequently.
Matt Hancock UN appointment “not taken forward”, UN spokesman tells UN news organisation Pass Blue
593
2K
7K
10
44
163
Yesterday was the third anniversary of me joining
@CrisisGroup
as
@UN
Director.
I have loved working with
@AshishSPradhan
and the wider ICG team.
On the other hand, the
#UNSC
has gone from bad to worse and world order is on the brink.
A 🧵 with a few highlights... [1/10]
6
24
163
One bold idea would be for the UNSG to request a visit to
#Mariupol
itself.
The situation for civilians trapped in the city remains dire. Could a USG visit help get the suffering out? [5/6]
9
31
160
Very excited to have started
@CrisisGroup
as
#UnitedNatiosn
director yesterday. There's a huge amount to do here, and
@AshishSPradhan
has been doing a great job. Really looking forward to working together.
10
8
160
I suspect that Israel will worry a lot more about this draft resolution from
@USUN
than louder/stronger demands from other
@UN
members.
17
69
160
UN Folk: We wish the UNSG was more like Dag Hammarskjöld.
Russia: You mean we should try to kill him while he is on a peace mission. Got it.
7
19
155