Author Mark Leon Goldberg

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Mark Leon Goldberg
Mark Leon Goldberg is the executive editor of UN Dispatch

What Got Accomplished at the UN Last Week

As usual, the sideshows like Mahmoud Ahmadenijad's 9-11 Trutherism sucked up much of the mainstream media attention around UN week.  But beyond the sideshows, last week brought some very real, substantive accomplishments that could potentially transform the lives of millions of people around the world.  Here are three of them:

Digging Deeper into Obama’s UN Speech

President Obama is drawing attention mostly for his remarks on Middle East peace. But lest other elements of his UN speech be forgotten, at a press conference earlier today Samantha Power urged people to examine his pronouncements on good governance. As Power explained, the second half of his speech was largely a reaction to a disturbing trend in which governments are increasingly clamping down on civic rights.

The New Girl Effect Video

I saw the premier of this video earlier this week at the Digital Media Lounge in New York and found it remarkably powerful. I also noticed that Nicholas Kristof gave it a plug in his column today.

Obama’s Speech to the UN MDG Summit

The Obama administration took the opportunity of the President's speech to the MDG Summit to roll out elements of its new Global Development Strategy.  This includes one seemingly minor bit of bureaucratic reshuffling that could have a major impact on US foreign policy.