President of the World

If you like the U.N., you love Kofi Annan. The current secretary general represents the best of U.N. Man. He is dignified, uncorrupt, and earnest. He brings a certain calm to what can be a noxious circus. But, as we have seen in recent weeks, even the best of U.N. Man is a letdown—because the rot lies in the organization itself.

When the Iraq war commenced, Annan remained at center stage—or at least near it. He had done everything he could to prevent the war. He told the press, “Perhaps if we had persevered a little longer . . .” Yes, with the U.N., it was always “a little longer”—over a period of years. Annan was pleased, however, by the prominence of the U.N. in the run-up to the war: “Over the past weeks, the peoples of the world have shown what great importance they attach to the legitimacy conveyed by the authority of the United Nations. They have made clear that, in confronting uncertainty and danger, they want to see power harnessed to legitimacy.” And without the U.N.—no legitimacy. It is a theme of Annan’s speech, and career. Probably the main one.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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Iraq War

If you like the U.N., you love Kofi Annan. The current secretary general represents the best of U.N. Man. He is dignified, uncorrupt, and earnest. He brings a certain calm to what can be a noxious circus. But, as we have seen in recent weeks, even the best of U.N. Man is a letdown—because the rot lies in the organization itself.

When the Iraq war commenced, Annan remained at center stage—or at least near it. He had done everything he could to prevent the war. He told the press, “Perhaps if we had persevered a little longer . . .” Yes, with the U.N., it was always “a little longer”—over a period of years. Annan was pleased, however, by the prominence of the U.N. in the run-up to the war: “Over the past weeks, the peoples of the world have shown what great importance they attach to the legitimacy conveyed by the authority of the United Nations. They have made clear that, in confronting uncertainty and danger, they want to see power harnessed to legitimacy.” And without the U.N.—no legitimacy. It is a theme of Annan’s speech, and career. Probably the main one.