At the end of this year, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan retires from his post and Ban Ki Moon of South Korea will begin his term. (“Annan says Iraq war ‘worst moment’ of his time at U.N.”) In addition to goals such as halting genocide in Darfur and fighting AIDS and poverty worldwide, Annan presided over the events and aftermath of September 11, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His term also saw world health crises such as Avian Flu and record-breaking natural disasters like last year’s Southeast Asian tsunami which killed around 200,000 people. He has said that his biggest regret as Secretary-General was failing to prevent America’s preemptive invasion of Iraq, and has recently criticized the Bush administration for undermining human rights and international law.
Looking back on Kofi Annan’s term as Secretary-General, was he effective in his position? Should he shoulder the blame for failing to prevent the War in Iraq, or was he faced with circumstances that were beyond his power to control? Do you agree with his criticism of the Bush Administration? Does he have the moral authority to make such an assessment?
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Comments: 16
He could not have prevented the war because Bush was determined to launch it.
The UN can only be effective if the members agree to cooperate; if a country decides to ignore the UN, there really is nothing a General Secretary can do.
And yes, Annan does not have clean hands. But then.. who in public office does?
Annan's regret at not stopping Bush should not be confused or spun into guilt or blame on Annan. The attitudes of personal responsibility (which the GOP are known for using as a whiping post), should be applied strictly. GW wanted the war in Iraq, and congress let him in spite of validated dissenters. The mess is on their heads, but is likely not to be properly solved by them. It's a shame.
Nice lie.
Everybody on the planet has the standing to criticize and villify the most corrupt, incompetent, dishonest president in history.
Bush's polocies in the middle east are largely responsible for the crisises we have today in the region. Bush pursued Iraq despite the war being technically illegal. The UN, the world, voted NO and Bush did it anyway as if there were NO CONSEQUENCES. There have been many cosequences and we will continue to pay thenm for years to come.
Kofi Annan is right to use his "bully pulpit" to its maximum advantage, for as mentioned by Lynn G., the cooperation of the UN member states is needed to take action on problems. Obviously they quite frequently need a kick in the butt to get them moving.