Skip to content
Advertisement

Decade of Leadership: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Decade of Leadership: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is a Special Report prepared by The Washington Times Advocacy Department.

Recent Stories

U.N. chief Ban: Steady hand, sound judgment

A big picture can be clearly seen from a distance. Only historians are likely to properly judge the truly remarkable achievements of the most invisible secretary-general in the history of the United Nations — Ban Ki-moon.

Congenial collaboration brought tangible results

I have known Mr. Ban Ki-moon for more than a decade. In the next few paragraphs, I will talk about the man that I had the privilege to work with, as our paths crossed together since 2001 while juggling different portfolios within and across the U.N. system.

Graham T. Allison Jr., Douglas Dillon Professor of Government in the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Director of Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the JFK School of Government, poses with his book about the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

A cherished moment with JFK

I suspect you may not be aware of the similarities between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President John F. Kennedy.

Departing UN chief has almost 5 decades of public service

Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's journey to the world's largest international body started in a war-torn country that received emergency assistance from the same institution.

A tenure marked by earnest dedication and criticism, fair and unfair

Ban Ki-moon, the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations, is wrapping up his second and final five-year term with the global body at the end of this year. His dedication to the U.N. is strong and personal — he was a recipient of U.N. assistance during and after the Korean War. However, U.N. supporters have criticized him as being, in the words of The Economist, "the dullest — and among the worst" of the individuals serving in that capacity.

The most impossible job in the world

While the world was transfixed by the election for the next president of the United States, less attention was paid to the process that delivered the next secretary-general of the United Nations, Portuguese diplomat Antonio Guterres.

Stalwart advocate of a global climate pact

Ban Ki-moon's signature contribution as secretary-general will be his stalwart advocacy of an effective international global climate agreement. While the bilateral agreement between the United States and China before the Paris summit was a crucial breakthrough, Mr. Ban worked hard and long to prepare the ground for multilateral progress.

Bonnie Collier, right, and her two granddaughters, daughter and daughter-in-law pick through the wreckage of her mobile home trying to find clothes and family photos on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, near Cecil, Ga. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington)

Storms kill 20 in the South

- Associated Press

Bonnie and Wayne Collier were jolted awake in their mobile home by a cellphone weather alert early Sunday. They jumped up, turned on the TV, saw a tornado warning and decided to run.

In this Sept. 21, 2015, file photo, a Volkswagen logo is seen on car offered for sale at New Century Volkswagen dealership in Glendale, Calif. The Volkswagen executive, Oliver Schmidt, who once was in charge of complying with U.S. emissions regulations has been arrested in connection with the company’s emissions-cheating scandal, a person briefed on the matter said Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Volkswagen emissions-cheating deal could put employees in hot seat

- Associated Press

The imminent criminal plea deal between Volkswagen and U.S. prosecutors in an emissions-cheating scandal could be bad news for one group of people: VW employees who had a role in the deceit or subsequent cover-up.