Haley Buffeted by Russian Headwinds at UN on Middle East
- Russian vetoes hamper U.S.’s campaign to isolate Iran
- Washington and Moscow are on collision course over Hezbollah
Iranians walk past Sejjil (L) and Qadr-H medium range ballistic missiles displayed next to a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Photographer: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
After a year rallying international support against North Korea, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is finding the ability to unite the UN Security Council around U.S. priorities in the Middle East stymied -- as they were during the Cold War -- by Russia.
Whether Haley is seeking to counter Iran’s support for rebels in Yemen or to sanction Syria for chemical weapons attacks, Moscow keeps blocking U.S. initiatives at the world body while bolstering its alliances with Tehran and Damascus. The struggle to win over Russia on the most intractable U.S. foreign policy priorities outside of North Korea risks increasing conflict and further fracturing international agreements, such as the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.