South Korean Ban Ki-Moon Nominated UN Secretary General
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James Joyner | Monday, October 9, 2006 |
The next leader of the United Nations will be South Korean.
South Korea’s foreign minister was officially nominated Monday as the next U.N. secretary-general, and he pledged to work to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis hours after the communist regime announced it had tested a nuclear weapon.
“This should be a moment of joy. But instead, I stand here with a very heavy heart,” Ban Ki-Moon told reporters in Seoul, South Korea. “Despite the concerted warning from the international community,
North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test.”Ban, 62, was nominated by the U.N. Security Council to succeed Kofi Annan, whose term expires at the end of the year. He faces likely confirmation by the U.N. General Assembly.
Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima asked the 192-nation world body to act promptly to give final approval to Ban so he can have a sufficient transition before taking over as U.N. chief on Jan. 1, after Annan’s second five-year term ends. “I think the fact that the candidate is currently foreign minister of the Republic of Korea is an asset in dealing with the situation in the Korean peninsula that we are now facing,” he said.
Interesting symbolism, anyway. Given how little the United Nations matters in resolving international security crises, it’s unlikely that Ban will be any more effective than Annan. He certainly couldn’t be any less effective.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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I thought it was latin americas turn to head the UN?
Historically, there hasn't been a "turn" system, with most Secretary Generals coming from Europe (but not Security Council Permanent Members). If we're looking at very recent trends, though, it would seem to be Asia's "turn."
- Gladwyn Jebb (October 24, 1945–February 02, 1946) United Kingdom (Acting)
Trygve Halvdan Lie (February 2, 1946–November 10, 1952) Norway
Dag Hammarskjöld (April 10, 1953–September 18, 1961) Sweden
U Thant (November 30, 1961–December 31, 1971) Burma
Kurt Waldheim (January 1, 1972–December 31, 1981) Austria
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (January 1, 1982–December 31, 1991) Peru
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (January 1, 1992–December 31, 1996) Egypt
Kofi Annan (January 1, 1997–December 31, 2006) Ghana
So, it's been Europe, Europe, Europe, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa/Middle East, Africa. It's definitely not Latin America's turn. Either North America or Australia/Oceana should be next in line but the former only has two eligible states (Canada and Mexico, since USA is a Permanent Member) and the latter is pretty small and essentially Europe diaspora. If we skip NA/Aus for those reasons, it's Asia's turn!
Hey, Hey, Hey, don't sell the man short. Maybe, just maybe he CAN be less effective than Annan. It will be tough, but if he can just give it all the nothing he's got, he just might do it!
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