Ariana Yekrangi

Contributing editor

In this issue of The Gordian, we take a closer look at the Balkan Peninsula and the fall of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  This issue contains exclusive reports by, our literary editor, Alex Liberto, and other UN-aligned members, namely Jay Davis and Carla Pietrobattista, Eston McKeague, Jonna Lappalainen and Aryan Yekrangi. The editors are Adrian Liberto and Ariana Yekrangi.

Exploring our tendency to view personal disaster as a distant, parallel universe, this issue of *The Gordian* delves into pressing social issues from rough sleeping to poverty, featuring exclusive reports from its editorial team.

This month marks the last issue of the 4th Volume of the Gordian Magazine. Although it may not seem like much, to date we have published more than 25 issues of the Gordian, all of which can be accessed for free. Words cannot express how grateful we are to the generous support of our writers, contributors and, you, our readers.

The United Nations is the devil. It has had the top job of securing world peace for over three quarters of a century and for a host of reasons it has made an absolute mess of it. And yet, most of us are happy to be represented by this organisation. We say enough is enough. In this issue of The Gordian, we talk about why the UN cannot be trusted to represent, let alone advance, humanity’s ideals and aspirations and why simple reform will not resolve its inherent problems. This issue contains more exclusive reports by, our literary editor, Alex Liberto, and other UN-aligned members, namely Jay Davis, Jonna Lappalainen and Carla Pietrobattista. The editors are Adrian Liberto and Ariana Yekrangi.

While the UN's causes are noble, its communiques can feel like an alphabet soup and its members often behave like undisciplined children. An audio episode explores the ambitions and limitations of its leader, António Guterres

The Secretariat consists of the personnel of the United Nations, with the Secretary-General as its head. It is estimated that as of 2021, more than 35,000 people are employed by the United Nations.

Last week Edward Mortimer, the chief speechwriter for Kofi Annan, passed away at the age of 77. He was described as “one of the lively minds surrounding the Secretary-General, given license to think and experiment at a time when the future of the United Nations was being written anew”.

Plunging into the ocean of UN communiques is like drowning in an alphabet soup. Often, the words are noble, the causes honourable. Occasionally they even make a difference... and yet the members of this mighty club behave like undisciplined children who delight in doing just as they please. In this issue of The Gordian, following the re-election of the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, we will be discussing everything relating to his post and office. This issue contains more exclusive reports by, our literary editor, Alex Liberto, and other UN-aligned members, namely Jonna Lappalainen, Carla Pietrobattista and Aryan Yekrangi. The editors are Adrian Liberto and Ariana Yekrangi.

The globally displaced rose from 79.5 million in 2019 to 82.4 million by the end of 2020, a near 3 million increase. This is as the G7 decides to take no action whatsoever. The UNHCR says that the number of refugees around the world has hit a new high, this is in spite of the pandemic, a time in which over 160 countries closed their borders.

Earlier this year, Secretary General António Guterres appointed the Frenchman Jean Arnault as his envoy covering Afghanistan and regional issues. Mr Arnault is expected to support the negotiations and implementation of any agreements between the Taliban and Afghanistan.

Final tallies earlier this month showed that Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were elected as the five new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The new members elected this year will be taking up their seats on 01.01.2022 and will serve for 1 year, until 31.12.2023.

According to the Palestinian health authorities, during the recent clashes between Israel and Gaza, at least 254 Palestinians including 66 children were killed. This is while more than 1,900 are reported to be wounded. For 30 years, the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), a nonpolitical humanitarian relief organisation, has provided the children of Gaza with free medical care.

Your past is in front of your eyes, it’s 2014, 2012 and 2008 all over again. You cannot escape it, visual reminders are scattered all over the city.

Is the UNSC becoming obsolete? Well, it is not that the Security Council (UNSC) is no longer fit for purpose, it has never really been designed to fit its purpose. In 1946, after the League of Nations ceased its operations, the Security Council was invested with most of the power of the brand new organisation, the United Nations.

Join this practical and informative online workshop, which will culminate in a published article in The Gordian. In the space of just five lessons, starting on the first of July, Adrian Liberto, author, journalist, a former professor at the American University of Rome and current editor-in-chief of the Gordian Magazine, will teach you how to overcome your weaknesses in writing. Adrian will use his vast reserves of experience and enthusiasm to give you an overall assessment of your writing strengths and weaknesses and how to maximise the former and overcome the latter.

War is an unacceptable way of resolving differences, or crimes committed by one country against another. In this issue of The Gordian, we discuss a solutions towards comprehensive global justice. We also take a closer look at the crimes committed by Israel and the UN Security Council. This issue contains exclusive reports by our Administrator, Ruby Goldenberg, our literary editor, Alex Liberto, our treasurer, Jonna Lappalainen and other UN-aligned members, namely Carla Pietrobattista and Anahita Ahmadi. The editors are Adrian Liberto and Ariana Yekrangi.