Overview

Kofi Annan was the most significant and influential Secretary-General of the United Nations. Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations is a study of how Annan conceived his role as Secretary-General and exercised global leadership at a turbulent period in world affairs. Williams discusses the challenges he faced during his tenure from 1997 to 2006 and how he dealt with them. The volume sheds light on the importance of leadership for the performance of a global institution, and examines such issues as Conflict Prevention, Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, the Responsibility to Protect, Human Rights, Climate Change, and Migration. It provides insight into how Annan led the UN during several international crises, including the terrorist attacks of 9/11, conflicts in Kosovo and East Timor, and the war in Iraq. It illustrates how he built partnerships with non-state actors, including nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, universities, think tanks, and Nobel laureates in order to advance the UN's mission without relying exclusively on state power and inter-state cooperation. Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations charts Annan's ambitious efforts to reform and adapt the UN to the needs of the twenty-first century. It is a pathbreaking and authoritative volume and a union of scrupulous scholarship and insider knowledge of the UN.

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9780192847423

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Reviews

This incisive book by Abiodun Williams is an in-depth study of global leadership. Kofi Annan was an extraordinary UN Secretary-General combining the pursuits of peace and security, development and human rights. He was an architect, a builder and an advocate for effective and compassionate leadership based on the UN Charter. Abiodun Williams' book is a timely reminder of the necessity of well-functioning international cooperation in today's world. * Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (2012-2016), and former Foreign Minister of Sweden. * Abiodun Williams' thoughtful assessment of Kofi Annan's tenure as Secretary-General is a case study in leadership. This highly readable book, organized around eight thematic chapters, traces both the daunting challenges Annan managed so skillfully during his ten eventful years at the helm, and the enduring changes he introduced to improve the way the UN operates. Drawing on his own experience from many years as Annan's Director of Strategic Planning, Williams illustrates the exceptional qualities that made Kofi Annan the most charismatic and consequential Secretary-General in our lifetimes. * Allan Rock, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, and President Emeritus of the University of Ottawa * The first UN Secretary-General memorably described it as 'the most impossible job on this earth.' Part civil servant, part diplomat, successors vacillated between being more secretary or more general. This book is an insightful study of the seventh, Kofi Annan, one of the more successful - in part because he understood the UN and its politics; in part because he understood the possibilities (and, ultimately, the limitations) of the role itself. * Simon Chesterman, David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost, National University of Singapore * At this unique moment, it is worth reading a new book that provides a look at one man who led the United Nations for a decade of international challenges: Kofi Annan. Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations...is a profile in leadership at the time when leadership is sorely needed. * Tara D. Sonenshine, Former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, The Hill * Abiodun Williams' new book, Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations, is a refreshing addition to the literature about Annan and his time in office...Williams not only takes the reader through the milestones of Annan's tenure, he also manages to let his character shine through. That is no small feat...The writing is artful and free of the jargon so common to UN-speak. * Dali ten Hove, PassBlue * This is really an exceedingly important book about Annan, and, I must say upfront, I regard Annan as one of the UN's most extraordinary Secretaries-General...This is the first serious assessment of how Annan exercised his leadership in one of the most difficult and demanding organizations one can imagine. * Stephen C. Schlesinger, author of Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations * The book provides an excellent insider view of different facets of Annan's role as a strategist, advocate, secretary, and general of the UN ship. Writing in exquisite prose, Williams captures the struggles and dilemmas that Annan faced and provides glimpses of his personality, philosophy, and temperament that help us understand how he navigated international crises. * Oumar Ba, International Politics * By analyzing how Annan approached the structural tensions within the UN, exercised the formal responsibilities of his office, and tackled major international challenges like conflict resolution, international development, human rights, and terrorism, while also driving institutional reform and expanding the partners of the UN beyond the state level, Williams presents in Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations a comprehensive record of Annan's legacy and his agency in shaping it. * Fadi Nicholas Nassar, Ethics & International Affairs *

This incisive book by Abiodun Williams is an in-depth study of global leadership. Kofi Annan was an extraordinary UN Secretary-General combining the pursuits of peace and security, development and human rights. He was an architect, a builder and an advocate for effective and compassionate leadership based on the UN Charter. Abiodun Williams' book is a timely reminder of the necessity of well-functioning international cooperation in today's world. * Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (2012-2016), and former Foreign Minister of Sweden. * Abiodun Williams' thoughtful assessment of Kofi Annan's tenure as Secretary-General is a case study in leadership. This highly readable book, organized around eight thematic chapters, traces both the daunting challenges Annan managed so skillfully during his ten eventful years at the helm, and the enduring changes he introduced to improve the way the UN operates. Drawing on his own experience from many years as Annan's Director of Strategic Planning, Williams illustrates the exceptional qualities that made Kofi Annan the most charismatic and consequential Secretary-General in our lifetimes. * Allan Rock, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, and President Emeritus of the University of Ottawa * The first UN Secretary-General memorably described it as 'the most impossible job on this earth.' Part civil servant, part diplomat, successors vacillated between being more secretary or more general. This book is an insightful study of the seventh, Kofi Annan, one of the more successful - in part because he understood the UN and its politics; in part because he understood the possibilities (and, ultimately, the limitations) of the role itself. * Simon Chesterman, David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost, National University of Singapore * At this unique moment, it is worth reading a new book that provides a look at one man who led the United Nations for a decade of international challenges: Kofi Annan. Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations...is a profile in leadership at the time when leadership is sorely needed. * Tara D. Sonenshine, Former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, The Hill * Abiodun Williams' new book, Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations, is a refreshing addition to the literature about Annan and his time in office...Williams not only takes the reader through the milestones of Annan's tenure, he also manages to let his character shine through. That is no small feat...The writing is artful and free of the jargon so common to UN-speak. * Dali ten Hove, PassBlue *

Author Information

Abiodun Williams is Professor of the Practice of International Politics at Tufts University. He was President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice and Senior Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace. He served as Director of Strategic Planning to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. He has also taught at Georgetown University and the University of Rochester. He is a former Chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS). He is the author or editor of five books on the United Nations and international relations.

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