wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Last month, the Arab League sent a team of observers to Syria, where the government has been cracking down on protesters. Colum Lynch, who writes the Turtle Bay blog for Foreign Policy and reports on the United Nations for the Washington Post, explains what internal Arab League memos reveal about the mission in Syria. Plus, a look at why Russia opposed the United Nations Security Council measure to condemn the Syrian government during a meeting on Tuesday.

The United States and Israel are withdrawing contributions to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, after the body voted accepted Palestine as the 195th full member on Monday. The U.S. contributes 22 percent of UNESCO's budget, and Israel provides another three percent. UNESCO's full membership voted 107 to 14 to accept Palestine, with 52 abstentions.

President Obama may be making all the headlines, but there are plenty of other important speeches taking place at the UN this week. Colum Lynch of The Washington Post and Chidanand Rajghatta, foreign editor and U.S correspondent for the Times of India round up what the rest of the world ...