The Libyan and Syrian crises have caused major international rifts over the use of force and crisis management. In February CIC convened a conference with the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute and the Brookings Institution to address how the U.S., its allies and emerging powers can rebuild trust around crisis diplomacy. The event involved scholars and officials from the U.S., Europe, China, India and Brazil.

Debate on the successor to the Millennium Development Goals has now begun in earnest. The UN Secretary General has made the agreement of new goals a centerpiece of his second term, promising to "forge consensus around a post-2015 sustainable development framework and implement it."  This paper provides an overview of the MDGs and their expected status in 2015; describes the background to , and options for, a post-2015 framework; discusses the political challenges of agreeing a new framework; and sets out considerations for governments and other stakeholders.