United Nations Secretaries General

Book excerpt: The United Nations has fought an uphill battle since its formation in 1945. One General Secretary after another has fought unruly members, the tendency of several countries to ignore UN resolutions and continuous budget difficulties caused in part by the refusal of deadbest countries to pay their dues. In spite of these problems, the UN has numerous successes to its credit. If the world is not to go up in flames the United Nations will play an even larger role in the future. Before this can happen, however, the world will require leaders with more foresight and courage than those around now. The Secretaries General of the UN have laboured, sometimes in obscurity, to accomplish their missions. This book gathers together citations, including abstracts, from the journal literature, books, government reports and edited collections.