United Nations Turnover

The United Nations is such a strange organization. Created with the best of intentions, it has served most often as a platform for demagoguery and a means for corrupt individuals to make money (see the Oil-for-Food scandal). I'm not really sure how to feel about the UN; as a left-leaning moderate I guess I'm supposed to view it as the last, best hope for humankind. I just can't reconcile that vision with the reality of the organization, however. I don't know if there will ever be a sci-fi friendly "One-World Government," but I would place million-to-one odds on the possibility of any such organization growing out the United Nations.

Nevertheless, I'm curious to see how the race to replace Kofi Annan plays out. Annan's second term as UN Secretary-General (such an interesting title, that) ends on December 31, 2006. Sometime this fall, then, the UN will need to select a new leader, and not surprisingly for such a Byzantine organization, the process of selecting the Secretary-General is shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

Newsweek International just put out an article on some of the individuals, declared and undeclared, who are seeking the job. I've never heard of any of these people, but I suspect that I will be finding out more as the process goes on. With luck, whoever is chosen will be the kind of reformer that can facilitate a top-down change in how the UN runs. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to happen. Regardless, this should be a fascinating process.