Unsurprisingly, the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan dominated discussions among world leaders at the recent U.N. General Assembly. So did calls to reform and strengthen the international system, reflecting shifting global power dynamics. Diplomatic meetings in New York also revealed how these increasingly complex conflicts and shifting power dynamics are coming together in an emerging trend: a more diverse set of countries striving to mediate conflicts. At the beginning of the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss avenues to peace, building on Modi’s recent trips to Kyiv and Moscow. At the end of the week, Chinese and Brazilian officials co-hosted an event to garner international support for their peace plan for Ukraine, which Kyiv opposes.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Peace Processes

President Joe Biden’s top national security aide, Jake Sullivan, met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week, along with other top Chinese officials, as Washington and Beijing look to address bilateral tensions. Relations hit one of their lowest points in years in August 2022 after then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and China responded by cutting off bilateral communications on areas ranging from military matters to climate cooperation. But both sides have attempted to pull back from the brink with a series of high-level meetings in the last two years, including between Biden and Xi in November 2023.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

El 28 de julio, Venezuela celebró una de las elecciones más importantes de su historia. La oposición política del país, liderada por María Corina Machado, superó la desilusión popular, las divisiones políticas y un sistema electoral amañado para obtener una aplastante victoria para su candidato de unidad, Edmundo González Urrutia. Según un grupo de la sociedad civil, los cálculos «extrapolados de los recibos oficiales del conteo de votos» de una muestra representativa de centros de votación locales otorgan a González el 66% de los votos. La oposición venezolana respondió al momento con una inspirada campaña prodemocracia.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Nonviolent Action

On July 28, Venezuela held one of the most consequential elections in its history. The country’s political opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, overcame popular disillusionment, political divides and a rigged electoral system to earn a landslide victory for its unity candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. According to one civil society group, estimates “extrapolated from the official vote count receipts” from a representative sample of local voting centers give González 66% of the vote. Venezuela’s opposition met the moment with an inspired pro-democracy campaign.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Nonviolent Action