Institutional power file · 193 member states
UN General Assembly
How universal membership, budget authority, elections and non-binding resolutions give the General Assembly agenda-setting and institutional power.
Power mechanisms
Where authority actually moves
Latest analysis
10 related pieces2026-09-29
Analysis
Analysis
The UN's Legitimacy Problem Is Increasingly About Who Gets to Exercise Power
Calls for African representation and Security Council reform reflect a widening gap between the UN's universal membership and the concentrated authority of its postwar institutions.
2026-09-27
Analysis
Analysis
Venezuela's Election Promise Has Become a Test of US Leverage
Delcy Rodríguez has promised a transition to full democracy and discussed elections with Donald Trump, but no date exists. Washington must decide which institutional changes count as progress before economic normalization outruns political transition.
2026-09-25
Analysis
Analysis
Trump and Xi's Washington Summit Shows How a G2 Can Grow Without Ever Being Declared
While the UN gathered in New York, the two leaders whose decisions most directly shape trade, AI and security met separately in Washington. The contrast says something important about where practical power is moving.
2026-09-23
News
News
Xi Begins Three-Day US State Visit With Trump Talks Set to Cover Trade, AI and Security
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the United States from September 23 to 25 at Donald Trump's invitation, with bilateral talks expected to address the countries' increasingly broad strategic relationship.
2026-09-23
News
News
Guterres Uses Final UN General Assembly Address to Call for AI Oversight and Institutional Reform
The UN secretary-general urged governments to strengthen global oversight of artificial intelligence and reform international institutions as his second term approaches its end.
2026-09-23
News
News
G7 Foreign Ministers Call on Iran to End Support for Houthi Military Operations
The Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned Houthi attacks and called for an end to threats against civilian shipping during meetings around the UN General Assembly.
2026-09-22
Analysis
Analysis
The Two-State Coalition Is Moving From Recognition to Policy Pressure
At the UN, Western and Arab governments increasingly framed Palestinian statehood not as a symbolic endpoint but as a basis for trade restrictions, sanctions and pressure over settlements.
2026-09-20
Analysis
Analysis
The UN General Assembly Opens Under Pressure From War, AI and a Crisis of Multilateral Confidence
Nearly 130 leaders are heading to New York as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East collide with disputes over AI governance, UN funding and the institution's future leadership.
2026-09-20
Analysis
Analysis
Bachelet's Exit Narrows the Race to Lead a UN Under Unusual Strain
The former Chilean president has withdrawn from the contest to succeed António Guterres after losing support in an informal Security Council poll.
2026-04-25
Analysis
Analysis
The EU's 20th Russia Sanctions Package Shows Where Sanctions Power Is Moving
Europe's latest package reaches beyond Russian firms toward ports, services and third-country circumvention, but unanimity and enforcement remain the system's built-in constraints.
Primary record
Start with the institution itself
These links provide the formal rules or institutional description underlying this power file. State & Power analysis is kept separate from the primary record.