There was plenty of symbolism in the setting chosen by Kofi Annan for his final address to an American audience as secretary-general of the United Nations.
Annan spoke Monday at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo. President Harry Truman was instrumental in creating the United Nations in 1945, and his support of multilateralism contrasts starkly with the current views of the Bush administration. Annan wasn’t much for diplomatic niceties in his Independence remarks; indeed, he has been sharply critical of President Bush’s 2003 decision to invade Iraq despite opposition from the U.N. Security Council.
Annan leaves the U.N. on Dec. 31 after 10 years as its leader. With violence in Iraq, Darfur and the Middle East and nuclear concerns in Iran and North Korea dominating the headlines, the soft-spoken man from Ghana has spent his last month in office defending his turbulent tenure and addressing such subjects as nuclear proliferation, human rights and global governance.
On Monday, Annan poked at President Bush by quoting Truman’s warning that “no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others.” Annan said, “You Americans did so much in the last century to build an effective multilateral system,” though current U.S. policy frequently shuns the United Nations.
Annan angered U.S. officials two years ago when he called the Iraq war illegal. On Monday, he didn’t mention President Bush by name but said, “No state can make its own actions legitimate in the eyes of others. When power, especially military force, is used, the world will consider it legitimate only when convinced that it is being used for the right purpose – for broadly shared aims – in accordance with broadly accepted norms.”
Annan’s legacy is mixed at best. He tried futilely to reform the 192-member U.N., and his reputation suffered in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal and half-hearted attempts to curb global human-rights abuses. Annan has been criticized for doing too much globe-trotting and not enough management of the U.N. He has presided during a decade of global conflict and ongoing atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, where 200,000 have been killed and millions of others displaced.
By choosing Independence for his U.S. farewell, Annan bid to revive support for the U.N. by reminding Americans of Truman’s commitment to diplomacy and joint action. His successor, Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea will have a chance to pick up on the theme starting in January.
