Samantha Power, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Program Launch and Strategic Focus

• Goldman Sachs, in partnership with the U.S. State Department and the Harvard Kennedy School, is expanding the "10,000 Women" program to include participants from nearly every country in the Middle East.
• Ambassador Samantha Power identifies the lack of full women's participation as a primary impediment to regional development, citing the UN Arab Human Development Report.
• Power asserts that poor governance and the alienation of population sectors created the fertile ground necessary for the rise of ISIL, emphasizing that future security depends on inclusivity rather than merely retrospective analysis.
• The UN is actively pressuring for increased female integration in peace processes; while data remains scarce, existing evidence suggests negotiations with women stakeholders and leading voices are more likely to result in lasting peace.

UN Reforms and Security Council Strategy

• The UN has appointed the first-ever woman force commander for a peacekeeping mission and increased the number of women special representatives for the Secretary-General.
• Power notes that even female mediators can sometimes share "blind spots" by convening exclusively male groups, though the UN continues to push for women at the table.
• Security Council advocacy emphasizes a pragmatic case for women's inclusion, arguing it yields economic returns and strengthens national security alongside the moral argument for justice.

Foreign Policy Doctrine and the Syrian Conflict

• Power maintains that the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) doctrine requires a toolbox of preventive and deterrent measures against mass atrocities, rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach similar to past interventions in Bosnia or Rwanda.
• In Syria, the U.S. has exhausted softer diplomatic tools, sanctions, and ambassador expulsions before considering military force, weighing the risk of power vacuums against the benefits of regime change.
• The administration currently favors a "train and equip" program for moderate opposition forces as a method to protect civilians and communities from both ISIL and the Assad regime without direct U.S. military intervention.

Iran Nuclear Negotiations

• Power asserts that a diplomatic solution is the preferable pathway to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, citing the effectiveness of international unity and sanctions in bringing Iran to the negotiating table.
• She challenges the notion that a deal would permanently limit U.S. freedom of action, stating that sanctions can be re-imposed during or after any agreement without requiring full international consensus.
• Power argues that the current threat of renewed, unilateral U.S. sanctions during negotiations is unrealistic, as the goal of sanctions is to secure a diplomatic agreement, not to prolong the crisis.

Ebola Crisis and International Response

• Following Power's October visit to the Ebola-affected region, caseloads have dropped significantly: 99% in Liberia, 86% in Sierra Leone, and 84% in Guinea compared to peak levels.
• Despite these declines, the U.S. and the UN prioritize reaching zero cases, acknowledging that the current phase involves difficult efforts to trace contacts in rural areas and overcome deep-seated cultural resistance to safe burial practices.
• Power credits President Obama's leadership for mobilizing 3,000 U.S. troops and 10,000 U.S.-supported health workers, a move that leveraged American commitment to induce participation from China, Europe, and other global partners.