Examines the role of the United Nations Secretary-General and the ambiguities surrounding the position.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is a unique figure in world politics. At once civil servant, the world's diplomat, lackey of the UN Security Council, and commander-in-chief of up to a hundred thousand peacekeepers, he or she depends on states for both the legitimacy and resources that enable the United Nations to function. The tension between these roles - of being secretary or general - has challenged every incumbent. This book brings together the insights of senior UN staff, diplomats and scholars to examine the normative and political factors that shape this unique office with particular emphasis on how it has evolved in response to changing circumstances such as globalization and the onset of the 'war on terror'. The difficulties experienced by each Secretary-General reflect the profound ambivalence of states towards entrusting their security, interests or resources to an intergovernmental body.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Foreword Kofi A. Annan; Introduction Simon Chesterman; Part I. Defining and Refining the Job Description: 1. The evolution of the Secretary-General Brian E. Urquhart; 2. 'The most impossible job' description Shashi Tharoor; 3. Selecting the world's diplomat Colin Keating; Part II. Maintaining Peace and Security: 4. Relations with the Security Council James Cockayne and David M. Malone; 5. Good offices and 'groups of friends' Teresa Whitfield; 6. The bully pulpit Quang Trinh; Part III. Normative and Political Dilemmas: 7. The Secretary-General as norm entrepreneur Ian Johnstone; 8. Pope, pharaoh, or prophet? The Secretary-General after the Cold War Adekeye Adebajo; 9. Leader, clerk, or policy entrepreneur? The Secretary-General in a complex world David Kennedy; Part IV. Independence and the Future: 10. The Secretary-General's political space James Traub; 11. The Secretary-General in a unipolar world Edward C. Luck; 12. Resolving the contradictions of the office Simon Chesterman and Thomas M. Franck; Appendix.
