Ban Ki-Moon

From AICbackground

Ban Ki-Moon

Secretary General of the United Nations

Quotes:

“The Middle East question is, of course, the most serious issue with which we must deal. These have long been issues which have not been resolved. I will put priority on this issue. I will try to energize the Quartet agreement, and I will immediately discuss this matter with the countries concerned. I think the core of the Middle East questions lies in the relationship between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. It would be desirable to encourage -- for the international community and leaders of the region to encourage -- the parties concerned to continue their negotiations.”

“On the Lebanese situation, again, the United Nations has taken an important role by adopting Security Council resolutions, by establishing and augmenting the UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] forces there. We need to work together to implement all these Security Council resolutions."

"At the same time, there is an investigation going on by Mr. Serge Brammertz. I also had a meeting with him, and I encouraged him to continue his activities as Special Prosecutor to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri. I will try my best efforts to, first of all, [assist] these investigation activities, as well as the establishment of an international court.”

Education and Government Service:

You were born in 1944 in Euseong, Republic of Korea (South Korea). As a young man you won an award to come study English in America, where you met John F. Kennedy at a banquet in 1960. As a result of meeting President Kennedy, you decided to become a diplomat; you graduated from Seoul National University in 1970 with a degree in International Relations, and you later earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. You joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1970, and worked your way up through the hierarchy of this ministry over the next decade. Throughout the 1980s, you were a key member of South Korea's observer mission to the United Nations in New York City, which only became a member country in 1991. Over the last two decades your fluent knowledge of English has made you an important part of Korea's diplomatic team operating in the United States: in addition to your work at the UN, you have also been posted to the South Korean embassy in Washington D.C. Outside of the U.S., you have occupied a number of important positions within the Korean government. In 1995 you were appointed to be Deputy Minister of Planning and International Organizations, followed in 1996 by your appointment to the post of National Security Adviser to the President of Korea. You have also been an ambassador to Austria and India. By 2006 you had worked your way up to being Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at which point you announced your candidacy as a possible successor to Kofi Annan, the outgoing Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Weapons of Mass Destruction and North Korea:

Your specialty as a career diplomat and member of South Korea's political elite has been the stand-off between your government, the Republic of Korea, and your northern neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). This relationship has been complicated by North Korea's decision in 2003 to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation treaty and pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons. As Foreign Minister, you were instrumental in organizing the so-called “Six-Party Talks,” in which North Korea, South Korea, Russia, the United States and the People's Republic of China have attempted to reach an agreement to peacefully eliminate the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. These talks have not been very successful, but as a result of your participation in what have become incredibly frustrating and complicated negotiations, you are now seen as a world leader in the fight to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction—particularly nuclear weapons.

Election to UN Secretary-General:

In February 2006, you announced your candidacy as a possible successor to then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan of Ghana. After a series of votes by the UN Security Council and then the General Assembly, you were successfully elected in mid-October 2006 as Annan's successor. You were strongly endorsed in the Security Council (which forwarded its recommendations to the General Assembly) by fourteen of its fifteen members: the only country which refused to endorse you was Japan, due to the bad relationship between Japan and South Korea as a result of Japan's invasion of Korea in World War Two. Your election in the General Assembly was also very easy, and your main opponents actually dropped out of the race in the beginning of October. Despite the warm welcome you have received from the UN, it must be acknowledged that you were elected because you were a compromise candidate. Your predecessor, Kofi Annan, became a highly controversial figure during his ten years in office, coming into conflict with powerful Security Council members like the United States and Great Britain after the invasion of Iraq. With your knowledge of English and the time you have spent in the United States, many western countries elected you with the hope that you will help to mend hurt feelings and improve the strained relationship between the US and the UN. Likewise, other countries might have elected you simply because you are from East Asia: there has not been an Asian Secretary-General since 1971 (your immediate predecessors were both African), and many countries feel that the rise of China, Japan, and India as political and economic powers has made it necessary to reflect these new global realities through the nomination of an Asian Secretary-General. The fact that your country, South Korea, gets along well with most Asian, European, and North American governments has almost certainly helped win your new position. All the same, you are definitely not seen as an empty suit: you have been a career diplomat for a very influential country for almost four decades, and have been involved in handling one of the world's most challenging security dilemmas, the nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Most of the world is eager to work with you, and expects great things from your Secretary-Generalship.

Priorities As Secretary-General:

In your inaugural address, you stated that your most important priority as Secretary-General will be to enhance the credibility of the United Nations. Under Kofi Annan, scandals occurred that made the UN appear corrupt to some of its members, especially the United States. Likewise, the UN's failure to protect human rights in regions like Lebanon, Darfur and Kashmir have made the UN look like a useless organization. To combat these problems, you have announced that you would like to change the structure of the UN to make it more effective in dealing with modern problems. This includes upholding strict anti-corruption policies within the UN, but most importantly means that you are trying to reorganize the Security Council. As of December 2006 you have not explained exactly what kind of a reorganization you have in mind, but it looks like you might try to expand the number of permanent members on the SC, which might include offering permanent positions to powerful countries like Germany, France and Brazil. You have also promised to make North Korea, and nuclear proliferation in general, a key feature of your term. You expressed in a December 2006 interview that you hoped to see “a strong statement” sent towards the North Korean government from the UN Security Council. In related news, this means that you are also very interested in the Iranian nuclear controversy, since Iran is a key trade partner for North Korean nuclear technology, which includes reactors and missile systems. This focus means that you will be working very closely with key Security Council members Russia, China and the United States, which will certainly influence the way you approach other issues, particularly the Middle East Crisis.

Middle East Issues:

Even though you are a talented diplomat and a good bridge-builder, you do not have much experience in dealing with the Middle East. Keep in mind, you were elected primarily because you are an Asian diplomat, and have worked with the thorny issue of North Korea; your work on Middle Eastern issues has been very limited, and it is this inexperience which fills some members with a lot of concern about your abilities. In interviews conducted between September and December 2006, you have made it clear that you are generally committed to the Middle East Peace Process as it has been pursued thus far: you encourage efforts to galvanize the “Road Map” peace plan advanced by Bush in 2002, which calls for the European Union, the UN, Russia and the US to all use their influence to encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to reach a settled peace. You have stated that you feel the key to peace is better communication between the Israeli and Palestinian governments, but you have not made clear yet whether this means the Hamas faction of the government, headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, or the Palestinian Presidency of Mahmoud Abbas. Your record on Israel is, as of late 2006, also fairly unclear: remember, this will be the first position where you are forced to deal extensively with the Middle East Conflict. Unlike you predecessor, however, given your background it is likely that you approach this region's problems from a pro-American perspective, as opposed to Kofi Annan, who was bitterly opposed to what he perceived as America's favoritism towards the Israelis and irresponsible invasion of Iraq. In response to Annan's allegations, you have replied that they are only “his personal opinions.” As far as Lebanon goes, you have not commented on Israel's summer 2006 invasion, or Hizbullah's subsequent attempts to destabilize the Lebanese government. You have said that you hope progress will be made in bringing Rafiq Hariri's assassins to justice, but otherwise have yet to give a lengthy, or strongly-worded, opinion on the tumultuous events that wracked Lebanon during 2005 and 2006. Iran might prove one of your greatest regional challenges. As noted above, as a South Korean you are very sensitive to the risks posed by nuclear proliferation, and in a December 2006 press conference you sharply condemned Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's record of Holocaust Denial. Your general pro-American stance on foreign affairs will probably tilt you against the Iranians in the escalating nuclear crisis, but you are known as a consensus-builder, and it is unlikely that you will condone any violent attempt by either Israel or the US to settle this issue.

Roleplaying Notes:

In South Korea, journalists have named you “the Slippery Eel,” a title that you yourself laugh at, due to your quick wits and skill at avoiding being pinned down by difficult questions. All the same, a French observer commenting on you remarked, “Do not mistake Asian politeness for lack of willpower.” You are a career diplomat who has avoided scandals, tackled hard issues, and steadily worked his way up the bureaucratic ladder over four decades of dedicated service. You are aware that you are a compromise candidate, and following Kofi Annan's troubled tenure in office, you have been very candid in admitting that the United Nations needs some serious restructuring. Everyone hopes that you will be the man who smoothes over the many differences which currently trouble your organization, and your skills show that could very well be the right man for the job. In the past, you have been successful because you are quiet yet firm: you are excellent at building consensus and making allies out of possible enemies. While your predecessor was a highly public figure who often tackled controversial issues, it is possible that you, a naturally quiet and polite career diplomat, will prove more adept at creating longterm change in your organization. You do not have much experience dealing with the Middle East, but you do have experience dealing with the outside powers who are capable of influencing the Middle East: your lack of a record on the Arab-Israeli conflict gives you a tremendous amount of freedom to act in this situation, but you must learn your position quickly, and prove that you are capable of decisive action.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_ki_moon

http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/showArticle3.cfm?article_id=13669

http://www.asiasource.org/news/special_reports/kimoon.cfm

http://www.asiasociety.org/speeches/06ny_ban.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/5388220.stm

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sg2119.doc.htm

http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=122&Body=Ban+Ki-moon&Body1=