Reading the biography of Kofi Annan is like reading no other - completely different to the myriad of celebrity biographies saturating the market, this deals with hard-hitting facts and real issues that any self-aware world citizen will be able to sink his teeth into. Starting out by giving a bit of background on his time growing up in Africa before moving onto higher education in Europe, America and Africa, Kofi wastes no time in getting to the issues that occupied his time as the UN's seventh Secretary General, including conflict in the Middle East, genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, right up to the issues of the Millennium Development Goals, sovereignty and the Responsibility to Protect.
Perhaps the most fundamental point raised in the book is the extent to which the UN is held to account by both states and individuals around the world, yet it is the willingness of states to commit fundamental resources (or not) that continues to severely hamper the UN in it's wide remit. Although the UN has achieved much, and received much criticism, it is this limitation that most critics of the UN fail to realise - the UN can only function effectively if the states which constitute it's core membership are prepared to commit the necessary personnel and resources to the issues with which the UN deals. The UN itself is a powerful voice, but can only achieve so much, having no recourse to such funds and people as it needs to deal with the issues which many states continually push to one side in their pursuit of economic growth and foreign policy goals often seen from only one angle.
Admittedly, by Annan's own admission, the UN is not perfect - some areas are clearly in need of reform, with the issue of the permanent membership of the Security Council in particular need of revision, dominated as it is by member states that are not necessarily the key players in the international system they once were, whilst many other relevant voices are left marginalised with barely a note of influence on the workings of the UN. Perhaps the most important thing to take from this book, however, is that the UN is needed more than ever - there is, quite simply, no other world institution so committed to the ideals of Human Rights and peacekeeping as the UN, and at it's heart is a fundamental desire to do good, many of which come from Kofi Annan's own persona, yet credit is also due to the many who work at the UN who share this vision to work towards a vision for the greater good.
Towards the end of the book, it is clear that Kofi still has positive relations with many of the worlds leaders, past and present, and continues to have a keen eye and finger in what is happening around the world - recognised more than anything, perhaps, by the request of the current Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon for Kofi to be a special envoy in dealing with the Syrian crisis. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in international affairs, but particularly for those who wish to look at the issues from a different angle to the one national government's tend to approach things from. This book will undoubtedly have it's critics, and will most likely not change the opinions of those not in favour of the UN. It remains, however, an essential book and one that is much needed to inspire a future generation to work towards the positive vision which the UN inspires.
Next review: Francis Fukuyama - The Origins of Political Order (Approx. August 2013)
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