In this edition of UN Plaza I sit down with Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. Prior to that role, Nossel worked with Human Rights Watch and is the founder of the excellent blog, Democracy Arsenal. She’s also the person who first coined the term “smart power” in a 2004 Foreign Affairs article about how to better harness international institutions to serve American and global interests.
Much of the interview is focused on the Human Rights Council, which falls under Nossel’s area of responsibility. In the clip below, she explains how the Council’s resolutions can have real world impact. We also talk about how “smart power” is being embraced by the Obama administration and touch on the recent Nuclear Security Summit. Enjoy!