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Ian Williams

Ian Williams is the United Nations correspondent for the Nation and a columnist for Tribune. His books include The UN for Beginners (1995) and Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776 (Nation Books, 2005).

Recent articles


It's the nations, stupid!

The United Nations summit may prove to be a lost opportunity for reform, says Ian Williams. It is time for member-states who care about the organisation’s principles to act in concert – without the United States if need be.

The end of isolationism

Charles Peña, Philip Bobbitt, and John Hulsman and Eric Hamilton alike view America’s good as the world’s gold standard. The age of cosmic debt, climate change, and terror demands a larger vision. The United States needs clarity of mind, public diplomacy, humility – and friends.

Restraining the behemoth? The US, the UN and Iraq

Diplomacy and war are marching together. After tortuous negotiations, and amidst intensive military preparations, Iraq is faced with a tough United Nations resolution challenging it to reveal its weapons secrets. But even if diplomacy leads to war, will the hard bargaining at the Security Council remind the United States of the limits of its power?