The Campaign for U.N. Secretary General

The race to succeed Kofi Annan can begin as the Security Council moves to begin consulations on the question in June. The Washington Times interviews one openly declared candidate, Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka. Other candidate mentioned include Finland’s current President .



The race is far too early to call (if there is indeed a race). This is a relatively thankless job. Early wrangling appears to focus on whether the next SG must be from Asia as part of an informal rotation. China appears to feel this way.



The U.S. position is unclear and it may not matter very much in the long run. It is hard to believe, but the U.S. was actually very supportive of Kofi Annan when he first became SG. But the institution of the UN will likely lead to clashes with the U.S. and other powerful members, regardless of who is the SG. Unless the new SG is Bill Clinton and the new U.S. President is Hillary Clinton. Wouldn’t that be hilarious (as well as terrifying)?