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The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the Era of American World Power Paperback – October 30, 2007

by James Traub (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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During his first term as secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan was one of the most widely admired men in the world. In 2001, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Then the UN failed to stop war in Iraq and genocide in Darfur, and the institution was engulfed by the Oil-for-Food scandal. By the time Annan left office in December 2006, both he and the UN had suffered a terrible loss of standing.

Did the UN's failures arise from its own structure and culture or from a clash with an American administration determined to go its own way in defiance of world opinion?

In The Best Intentions, New York Times Magazine writer James Traub traces the entwined histories of Kofi Annan and the UN from 1992 to the present, and offers a definitive portrait of the institution's role in the age of American dominance.

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  1. Print length
    528 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Picador
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.18 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312426747
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312426743
  8. See all details
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Claude Forthomme
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Analysis
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating, insightful and highly informative, one of the best books I've read about the UN, it throws a welcome light on the inner workings of an institution that is too often derided by people who don't understand it. James Traub, by contrast, really understands it, he's seen it up close for years and knows how to explain it - and of course, his personal knowledge of Kofi Annan and his team is invaluable. He is a master at untangling the threads that are inevitably numerous in a complex institutional structure such as the UN and making it all clear to his reader, apportioning the blame in an equitable manner.

    Kofi Annan comes out like the very human and highly idealistic person that he really is, virtues and shortcomings shown alike with compassion and understanding. In fact, the title is extremely apt: "The Best Intentions", they are the ones that guide UN staff in their work, and sure enough, in spite of all their efforts, the end result is often not the way intended, political pressures from member countries, especially from the US, derail them. The life of a UN Secretary General is strewn with frustrations...This is a book that will clarify for you many episodes that fell into deep, public controversy, in particular the Food for Oil Programme for Syria. For anyone interested in understanding what really happened, it's a must read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Check this out
    5.0 out of 5 stars spot on
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    With insight, wit and stores of knowledge about the UN and world affairs, James Traub paints a sympathetic but brutally honest portrait of Kofi Annan as Secy=General. Five star.
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  • Newton Ooi
    3.0 out of 5 stars Profiles of diplomacy
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This book follows the career of Kofi Annan from his days as a foreign student in America to his term as UN secretary general. The author, thru interviews of Annan and those he dealt with, uses Annan's career to trace the history of the UN from its inception at the end of WWII to its impotence at the onrush of American power after the 9/11 attacks. The book's story is told chronologically, and lays out the complex, and often hidden relationships between the UN's career bureaucrats, and member states like the US, Russia, China, etc... Included in this story are many of the key issues the UN has tackled over the past 5 decades; such as the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, Saddam Hussein and the 2 Iraq wars, possible expansion of the permanent Security Council, and the North vs South dichotomy. All of these struggles are told thru the career of Kofi Annan; how he dealt with them, he he was affected by them, and sometimes, how he was defeated by them. But the climax of the book is best showed by the front cover; a polite, unassuming black man who has seen too much of the world getting browbeaten by a loud white man who wants to take over the world.

    The principal drawback of the book is the over-emphasis of the role of nations, and the minimal mention of the role of NGO's and corporations. Groups like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and various religious missionary groups all get short-thrifted by this book. And corporations are almost non-existent. This is a big hole in the book's treatment as many countries' domestic and foreign policies are driven by corporations. So overall, an OK book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Pranay Gupte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily detailed reporting, cannily written
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2006
    I have been a longtime fan of the writings of James Traub, so my view of his books is obviously somewhat biased. Nevertheless, I was astonished by the depth of his reporting about the United Nations and Kofi Annan. In view of the immense access that the U.N.'s outgoing secretary general gave him, Traub would have been surely tempted to write a hagiography. But he shows himself to be the consummate professional. This book is as much about Annan's setbacks and mistakes as it is about his triumphs. If Annan is as fair-minded as he's reported to be, then he is bound to be impressed by Traub's efforts. I doubt there's ever been such an extensively detailed work about the U.N., that beleaguered 192-nation body that has so much potential and yet has been handicapped by the mismanagement, corruption and straying from its mission of promoting global peace and security, and sustainable economic development. Traub captures it all -- the daily drama of development, the anguish of peacekeeping forces, the thankless grind of the U.N.'s field workers, the haughtiness of some of the organization's top povertycrats. Traub's narrative also makes for marvelous reading -- it's an unputdownable book. I predict that even those who might not be necessarily friends or critics of multilateral diplomacy will enjoy "The Best Intentions."
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Beigbeder Yves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kofi Annan's record
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2007
    This is an excellent book, which reviews Annan's work from the inside of the UN secretariat. Traub was given generous access to internal debates and Annan's close associates, and gives a detailed account of the UN responses to

    difficult or impossible dilemmas and crises during his term, and to the attitudes of member states. Annan's own personality is itself described, with its strengths and foibles in a candid way.

    Recommended to all those interested in the UN and in the role of the UN Secretaries General.

    Yves Beigbeder (former UN and UNITAR official, Retired)

    January 2007
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Madelaine Dawe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great condition, thank you!
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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Decent - EU cover?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Decent book, still not sure why it has the EU flag on the cover though?
    Anyone: feel free to explain this to me
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