Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 24/09/2026As you probably suspected, the answer is: everyone cites conflicting precedents and then they give it Dag's niece until the end of the season. Oh so very UN. 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 24/09/2026What happens if the UN Security Council cannot pick a new Secretary-General by the end of the year? It's very very possible so @benaldson.bsky.social and I outlined some of the options for @plataformacipo.bsky.social 1for8billion.org/if-security-...1for8billion.orgIf Security Council Can't Agree — 1 for 8 Billion 011
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 23/09/2026A good start that Burnham went to UNGA, and that despite being the first UK PM since Hague era David Cameron not to set foreign policy directly from Number 10 but to actually have a non-titular Foreign Sec. Keir "I want to reach the top of foreign policy" Starmer didn't bother last year 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 15/09/2026My new editorial/introduction for SDG Action ahead of #unga sdg-action.org/looking-for-...sdg-action.orgLooking for leadership | SDG ActionIndifference and hostility have created a leadership vacuum in development. But as practitioners do the best they can in challenging circumstances, they create their own forms of thought leadership 010
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 13/09/2026She lived a truly incredible life (essentially "what if Forrest Gump was an incredibly smart marxist?") and then wrote a fascinating but frustratingly incomplete memoir. I reviewed it here medium.com/freds-blog/m...medium.comMokhtefi on AlgiersAnother piece, this time a book review, I submitted on spec unsuccessfully. I wrote it nearly 3 years ago, for a magazine I co-edited so I… 001
Reposted by Fred CarverForeign Policy Centre @fpcthinktank.bsky.social · 07/09/2026🌐 New long read | The State of the UN The UN may be in poor shape, but it is far from useless. Ahead of #UNGA, Fred Carver asks what has been lost as the international order fragments and what the UN still provides as the “velvet rope of diplomacy”. ➡️ fpc.org.uk/long-read-th... 002
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Pleasure to write this for @fpcthinktank.bsky.social on the current state of the UN, and what that means for the UK fpc.org.uk/long-read-th...fpc.org.ukLong Read | The State of the UN - The Foreign Policy CentreWhat does a weakened United Nations mean for the UK? Fred Carver examines the state of the UN and where Britain can still exercise influence. 011
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Important piece by two of the great peacebuilders of our time. Guterres wanted to be a mediation SG but only rarely did he invest the time and resources over the long term needed. Here's how the next SG can do better passblue.com/2026/08/30/b...passblue.comBeing Serious About Peace - PassBlueBeing Serious About Peace - PassBlue 001
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Fantastic essay. One of the things I keep coming back to is that the centralisation of authority is neither necessary nor desirable for sustainable peace. Only thing I'd maybe add is I think a big part of why the myth persists is GWOT's hostility to the non-state actor odi.org/en/insights/...odi.orgBeyond the unitary state: rethinking state-building in an age of fragmentationIn this blog, former UN Assistant Secretary General Sir Charles Petrie examines the question of state-building in an age of fragmentation, drawing on close to 40 years of experience working in conflic... 000
Reposted by Fred CarverEugene Chen @casquebleu.org · 21/08/2026The peace operations review report is out at long last. TL;DR: it effectively argues for the status quo. In this reaction piece, I highlight the areas I thought the report got wrong, the items that are missing entirely, and what member states should do now. casquebleu.substack.com/p/nothing-ne...casquebleu.substack.comNothing new in the peace operations reviewJust entities protecting their interests and passing the buck 012
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 18/08/2026leilacancode.github.io/everythinggo...leilacancode.github.ioEverything Good About Jason ArdayFirst-hand accounts from people who knew him. Collected by his students. 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 07/08/2026"Participation in peacekeeping should not be a financial burden to contributing countries. But it should not become the means by which to bankroll and cultivate the tools of authoritarian conflict management." 000
Reposted by Fred CarverMichela Wrong @michelawrong.bsky.social · 01/08/2026The Continent magazine has published an investigation I carried out alongside Kenyan journo James Okong'o exposing how Rwanda's government manipulates social media - secretly paying influencers - in support of the M23 occupation of DRC. Thank you @pulitzercenter.org for your support. 13925
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 28/07/2026And now in @foreignpolicy.com with @benaldson.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/28/u...foreignpolicy.comCompromised CandidatesHow backroom deals shape the race for secretary-general and prevent U.N. reform. 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 24/07/2026The first ever full second term for an HCHR. Aside from the usual suspects surprised by Trinidad, and Guyana's absention presumably has something to do with CRB's candidacy (maybe to keep the US sweet, maybe she wanted to pick her own HC?) 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Really grateful to @casquebleu.org for his thoughtful engagement with our Backroom Deals report. I've replied here. casquebleu.substack.com/p/living-wit...casquebleu.substack.comFred Carver on Blue Helmets, Red TapeI'm very grateful to Eugene for his thoughtful engagement with our report (Backroom Deals), and I'm glad that you were impressed by the research. Coming from you that means a lot. I'm replying in a p... 110
Reposted by Fred CarverTom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 29/06/2026A top job at a top think tank And at a moment where there is suddenly a whole lot of policy thinking to be done! Come & help @ruthcurtice.bsky.social lead @resolutionfoundation.org www.resolutionfoundation.org/about-us/opp...resolutionfoundation.orgDirector • Resolution FoundationThe Resolution Foundation is seeking a new Director, to work closely with the Chief Executive to develop and deliver the overall strategy of the organisation; to drive the next phase of the Foundation... 01414
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 24/06/2026One of the most interesting projects I've done in a long time, working with @benaldson.bsky.social on a deep dive into the history of UN selection processes for 1 for 8 Billion and @plataformacipo.bsky.social It's now out! 1for8billion.org/backroom-deals 131
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Starmer had two big problems, the first well known, the second maybe somewhat overlooked: 1) if you win a mandate, even a landslide, on an entirely negative campaign around what you are not which advances no vision then you have no core ideological support to see you through the hard times 100
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 17/06/2026This is useful. I do keep going back to Graeber's the revolt of the caring classes to understand how we got here davidgraeber.org/articles/the... but I think this usefully maps out where (the UK at least) now isdavidgraeber.orgThe Center Blows Itself UpPolitics, in wealthy countries, is increasingly becoming a war between the generations. While the support for smaller parties in the UK (Liberal Democrats, Greens, the Scottish National Party, even Br... 010
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 16/06/2026theanarchistlibrary.org/library/davi...theanarchistlibrary.orgThere Never Was a WestDavid Graeber There Never Was a West Or, Democracy Emerges From the Spaces In Between 2007 From the collection “Possibilities: Essays on Hierarchy,... 000
Reposted by Fred CarverThe Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 12/06/2026The New Statesman asked me to put down a few thoughts about Belfast. On the politics and media that have failed everyone, and how much, and how little, has really changed. www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...newstatesman.comThe Belfast riots: new targets, old hatredThis is the story of a hardcore loyalist element which has stewed for decades in far-right ideology 6276110
Reposted by Fred CarverGenevieve Carver @gen-carver.bsky.social · 06/06/2026My book is out now! An adventure story for kids aged 8-12 featuring ancient rituals, a journey across the sea, and water spirits…@oneworldbooks.bsky.social 011
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 05/06/2026Was an absolute pleasure to contribute to @ibvprev.bsky.social's visits to Greenland and Denmark at the start of this year. It informed this wonderful report on the role of resilience in democratic defence and European security img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/13...img1.wsimg.com 020
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 04/06/2026My sis's book comes out today it looks amazing oneworld-publications.com/work/the-oce... @gen-carver.bsky.socialoneworld-publications.comThe Ocean and the Bones | OneworldIn a pre-historic world where the spirits are fickle and the people are cautious, Little Meg is a Sunhealer's apprentice. She must learn to read the signs of nature and commune with the spirits to gui... 010
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 01/05/2026Happy International Workers' day: what better way to commemorate Spies, Parsons, Fischer, and Engel than by joining the IWW? www.iww.orgiww.orgIndustrial Workers of the World 020
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 01/05/2026Bleakly funny www.reuters.com/world/middle...reuters.comUAE refers Sudan general and others to court over ammunition shipment for Sudanese armyThe United Arab Emirates has referred the chief of staff of Sudan's army and 12 other defendants and six companies to its State Security Court over an alleged attempt to move ammunition through UAE ... 100
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Happy REAL World Book day to everyone except the UK who do it wrong 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 23/04/2026In Devex alongside @benaldson.bsky.social and @plataformacipo.bsky.social teasing a report we've been working on which should be out shortly on the history of the backroom deals that underlie, and sometimes undermine, Secretary-General selections www.devex.com/news/no-more...devex.comNo more backroom deals at the UNOpinion: The race for the next U.N. secretary-general must tackle the practice of national monopolies for top U.N. roles for certain member states. 111
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 08/04/2026Would this mark the first time Trump has placed tariffs on Russia? 000
Reposted by Fred CarverJudah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lustration lus 23819
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Presumably the Pentagon is desperately telling him they've agreed to everything and he can declare victory while Israel is equally desperately telling them they've agreed to nothing and he must follow through. And all the while Iran has been contacted indirectly and non-specifically, if at all 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 07/04/2026The Red Alert franchise is going to some strange places these days 000
Reposted by Fred CarverJames Ingram @ingyingram.bsky.social · 23/03/2026Hatzola provide first aid + essential emergency health care for anyone + everyone. If you can donate to help them get back to helping, link here: hatzolanw.org/support Tackle #antisemitism with kindnesshatzolanw.orgHatzola NWHatzola North West - Emergency Ambulance Service 116
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 17/03/2026This is bleak from @richardgowan1.bsky.social. All the more reason to avoid the SC and go to the GA. Altho I do wish the SC would do a bit more to weigh up the harm of the SC becoming Trump's rubber stamp over that of Trump walking away www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trump-board-...worldpoliticsreview.comTrump May Not Need a ‘Board of Peace.’ He Has the U.N. Under His ThumbThe bulk of U.N. member states are so keen to maintain good relations with Trump that they give him an easy ride in New York. 055
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 17/03/2026The thing about a legalistic approach, done right, is it brings a profound moral clarity. Here's a welcome dose of the moral clarity you would expect from Moni Ali Khalil (on what looks to be an interesting Luso-Serbian podcast!) open.spotify.com/show/1U6JiTl...open.spotify.comSpotify – Web Player 001
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 11/03/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...theguardian.comIranians living in UK tell Starmer that war will only strengthen Tehran regimeNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among more than 100 signatories to letter urging PM not to get drawn further into the conflict 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Interesting that Labour, Lib Dem, and Green voters have near identical opinions on what the UK should do but radically different perceptions of whether what the UK is doing is correct. And perhaps a little surprising that Lib Dem perceptions match Labours? 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 05/03/2026I dunno. With Iraq there was a concerted effort by politicians, civil servants, experts, & friendly journos to fabricate evidence & build consensus around establishing a lie as reality. This is cheaply thrown out in full knowledge that neither we nor he believes it or believes the other believes it 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 04/03/2026This is that pundit brain thing where the downsides of articulating your strategy out loud for the world to hear massively outweigh the upsides but you do it anyway because demonstrating acumen in front of your peers is more important to you than actually getting a good outcome 000
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Anyone know any good novels from Benin? - in English - available on Kindle Failing that: literally an work of fiction from Benin at all available in translation on kindle? 000
Reposted by Fred CarverGenevieve Carver @gen-carver.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Excited to reveal the cover for my debut children’s book from @oneworldbooks.bsky.social @rocktheboatnews.bsky.social , y the fabulous Richard Johnson ! #kidlit 021
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 03/03/2026He's avoiding all the British mistakes in Iraq but making all the Danish ones 000
Reposted by Fred CarverOlúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 03/03/2026a thing historians will marvel about when they study this era is the extent to which the "war is a thing that happens to poorer, browner people" class went about systematically dismantling every aspect of the global political order that confined the costs of war to poorer and browner people 5558151444
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Excellent statement from GCR2P. Although I think if you're looking to the international community to do better you do need to look to UNGA gcr2p.cmail19.com/t/j-e-ydirvk...gcr2p.cmail19.comStatement on the Recent Developments in the Middle East 000
Reposted by Fred CarverNick Brumfield @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 01/03/2026The number of OSINT folks on Twitter relishing in all of this as if it is a game is a sign of a sick, sick culture 1616
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 01/03/2026This is a bit trite but since that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone else: I feel the reason we are where we are both wrt Iran and generally is because the defence and security industries operate under a set of perverse incentives whereby provided they do not fail catastrophically then the worse.. 100
Fred Carver @arbeider4fred.bsky.social · 28/02/2026"Obi Wan "Old Ben" Kenobi. Very dumb guy. Low energy. He said I couldn't win but I struck him down so I imagine that's the end of it" 000