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Kofi Annan: A Man of Peace in a World of War
In this thoughtful, balanced biography, former Los Angeles Times foreign and diplomatic correspondent Stanley Meisler traces Kofi Annan’s unconventional rise from optimistic student to striving personnel and budget specialist in the United Nations bureaucracy to full-time manager of the world’s crises. The book presents a unique portrait of this widely admired leader, with Annan’s own view of events tempered and augmented by those of his allies and opponents, defenders and detractors.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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298 people want to read
About the author
Stanley Meisler
5 books9 followersStanley Meisler served as a Los Angeles Times foreign and diplomatic correspondent for thirty years, assigned to Nairobi, Mexico City, Madrid, Toronto, Paris, Barcelona, the United Nations and Washington. He still contributes articles to the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Sunday Opinion and Art sections and writes a News Commentary for his website, www.stanleymeisler.com.
For many years, Meisler has contributed articles to leading American magazines including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Atlantic, The Nation, the Reader’s Digest, the Quarterly Journal of Military History, and the Columbia Journalism Review. While most of these articles focus on foreign affairs and political issues, he also has contributed more than thirty articles on artists and art history to the Smithsonian Magazine.
Meisler has twice won the Korn-Ferry Award for Excellence in United Nations Reporting and is a recipient of the Ford Foundation Area Training Fellowship in African Studies. He conducted classes in international reporting at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 2003 and 2004.
For many years, Meisler has contributed articles to leading American magazines including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Atlantic, The Nation, the Reader’s Digest, the Quarterly Journal of Military History, and the Columbia Journalism Review. While most of these articles focus on foreign affairs and political issues, he also has contributed more than thirty articles on artists and art history to the Smithsonian Magazine.
Meisler has twice won the Korn-Ferry Award for Excellence in United Nations Reporting and is a recipient of the Ford Foundation Area Training Fellowship in African Studies. He conducted classes in international reporting at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 2003 and 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 19, 2020
This biography of Koffi Annan was published in 2007. Annan, the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, peacefully past on to eternal glory on 18 August 2018. He lived a successful life, rising from a schoolboy in Ghana to world statesman and Nobel prize winner. He headed the UN at a tumultuous time, but rises to the occasion and triumphed.
Stanley Meisler, who also authored the “United Nations: The First Fifty Years” has known Annan for many years as a journalist (of the Los Angeles Times) portrays the former Secretary-General as someone who is not an ideologue, but as a pragmatic leader who adhered to some core values and unconditionally – almost religiously – promoted the letter and spirit of the charter of the UN during his terms as chief functionary of the world organisation from 1997-2008.
The book follows a chronological order of Annan's life, starting from the special relationship that existed between the US and Ghana in 1950s/1960s, and his family root up to his final hours in the UN.
Koffi Annan as a child dreamed of following his father's footsteps in the private sector. From an early age, he shows signs of leadership and organisational skills. After finishing high school in his home country, Ghana, he went to study Economics in Macalester College, United States, sponsored by the Ford Foundation Foundation.
He enrolled at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales (Graduate Institute of International Studies) in Geneva, but couldn't finish, instead, went to work for the UN. He eventually received an M.S. in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
A number of interesting facts and issues about Annan are presented and highlighted in the book. For instance, Annan, who joined the UN as an employee at a fairly young age, had his first substantive diplomatic assignment in 1991 at the age of fifty-two when he was asked to persuade Iraq to let go nine hundred UN workers and dependents that were taken, hostage. Before that he spent much of his time pushing folders around a desk or poring over budget figures as a personnel and budget specialist in the UN bureaucracy. In 1993 he took over as UN head of peacekeeping under Boutros Boutros-Ghali in order to strengthen Africa’s presence in the higher echelons of the UN. It had taken him more than thirty years to climb from the lowest rank in the UN to the rank of Undersecretary-Secretary. Annan worked in several capacities in the UN, and also had a short stint as managing director of Ghana Tourism Agency in 1974.
His election to the number one post in the UN reveals some fascinating behind-the-scenes-politics. There were significant differences between the Secretary-General and the United States (US) towards the end of Boutros-Ghali’s first term. Moreover, the conflict between Boutros-Ghali and Madeleine Albright, former US Ambassador to the UN, was taken to personal levels. The US, therefore, decided to block a second term for Boutros-Ghali. Apparently, many Africans felt cheated when the first African Secretary-General turned out to be an Egyptian from North Africa and decided that if they were going to get another chance at the job, they would prefer a black African from south of the Sahara. The US campaign favoured Annan and after several ballots in the Security Council which brought Annan to the fore as the primary and later sole candidate, the French Ambassador (and his right to veto) stood between Annan and the top UN position. However, after some further diplomatic footwork, Annan was elected by the Security Council as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN.
In this regard, Meisler presents some insightful information on the international political bickering that led to Annan supplanting Boutros-Ghali. The enormous political influence of the US as the world’s only superpower is also evident from this part of the book.
Meisler argues that despite the many challenges and crises that Annan had to face, his administration should actually be credited with an impressive handful of major achievements. He established the principle of the right of the international community to intervene politically and militarily when a government abuses its own people. Annan also revived a weakened peacekeeping department and increased the deployment of troops to near-record levels.
He injected openness and transparency into the UN system. The UN’s role as the main coordinator of international relief was further solidified under Annan. In the final instance, he presided over an organisation that could not be described as irrelevant. The point is also made that the UN works best when the US and the Secretary-General are in harmony – a wedding of American power and political influence with a moral force reflecting the needs and desires of the rest of the world.
Kofi's term in the UN had ups and downs. Notably, his first marriage to Titilola Alakija, a Nigerian, crashed after 11 years. His son, Kojo got mired in a scandal, taking a job in what looked like a tawdry scheme to cash in his father's station and influence. (The independent UN commission headed by Paul Volcker found no evidence that Annan used his influence to help Cotecna, his son's employer to win a contract in Iraq's Oil for Food Programme.) Annan's well known sad moments as Secretary-General of the UN was his inability to prevent the US-led invasion of Iraq. And other conflicts and genocides during his term as UN undersecretary in charge of peacekeeping operations in Rwanda, Bosnia, etc that he couldn't avert.
This book is good reading material for scholars, students and all those interested in diplomacy, international affairs, international organisations, war and peace, or anyone interested in the affairs and functioning of the UN as the pre-eminent organisation responsible for international peace and security. I picked this book to read to study the life of Annan and to also mourn his death. I'm grateful I did because it's most stimulating, lucid and insightful. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Stanley Meisler, who also authored the “United Nations: The First Fifty Years” has known Annan for many years as a journalist (of the Los Angeles Times) portrays the former Secretary-General as someone who is not an ideologue, but as a pragmatic leader who adhered to some core values and unconditionally – almost religiously – promoted the letter and spirit of the charter of the UN during his terms as chief functionary of the world organisation from 1997-2008.
The book follows a chronological order of Annan's life, starting from the special relationship that existed between the US and Ghana in 1950s/1960s, and his family root up to his final hours in the UN.
Koffi Annan as a child dreamed of following his father's footsteps in the private sector. From an early age, he shows signs of leadership and organisational skills. After finishing high school in his home country, Ghana, he went to study Economics in Macalester College, United States, sponsored by the Ford Foundation Foundation.
He enrolled at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales (Graduate Institute of International Studies) in Geneva, but couldn't finish, instead, went to work for the UN. He eventually received an M.S. in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
A number of interesting facts and issues about Annan are presented and highlighted in the book. For instance, Annan, who joined the UN as an employee at a fairly young age, had his first substantive diplomatic assignment in 1991 at the age of fifty-two when he was asked to persuade Iraq to let go nine hundred UN workers and dependents that were taken, hostage. Before that he spent much of his time pushing folders around a desk or poring over budget figures as a personnel and budget specialist in the UN bureaucracy. In 1993 he took over as UN head of peacekeeping under Boutros Boutros-Ghali in order to strengthen Africa’s presence in the higher echelons of the UN. It had taken him more than thirty years to climb from the lowest rank in the UN to the rank of Undersecretary-Secretary. Annan worked in several capacities in the UN, and also had a short stint as managing director of Ghana Tourism Agency in 1974.
His election to the number one post in the UN reveals some fascinating behind-the-scenes-politics. There were significant differences between the Secretary-General and the United States (US) towards the end of Boutros-Ghali’s first term. Moreover, the conflict between Boutros-Ghali and Madeleine Albright, former US Ambassador to the UN, was taken to personal levels. The US, therefore, decided to block a second term for Boutros-Ghali. Apparently, many Africans felt cheated when the first African Secretary-General turned out to be an Egyptian from North Africa and decided that if they were going to get another chance at the job, they would prefer a black African from south of the Sahara. The US campaign favoured Annan and after several ballots in the Security Council which brought Annan to the fore as the primary and later sole candidate, the French Ambassador (and his right to veto) stood between Annan and the top UN position. However, after some further diplomatic footwork, Annan was elected by the Security Council as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN.
In this regard, Meisler presents some insightful information on the international political bickering that led to Annan supplanting Boutros-Ghali. The enormous political influence of the US as the world’s only superpower is also evident from this part of the book.
Meisler argues that despite the many challenges and crises that Annan had to face, his administration should actually be credited with an impressive handful of major achievements. He established the principle of the right of the international community to intervene politically and militarily when a government abuses its own people. Annan also revived a weakened peacekeeping department and increased the deployment of troops to near-record levels.
He injected openness and transparency into the UN system. The UN’s role as the main coordinator of international relief was further solidified under Annan. In the final instance, he presided over an organisation that could not be described as irrelevant. The point is also made that the UN works best when the US and the Secretary-General are in harmony – a wedding of American power and political influence with a moral force reflecting the needs and desires of the rest of the world.
Kofi's term in the UN had ups and downs. Notably, his first marriage to Titilola Alakija, a Nigerian, crashed after 11 years. His son, Kojo got mired in a scandal, taking a job in what looked like a tawdry scheme to cash in his father's station and influence. (The independent UN commission headed by Paul Volcker found no evidence that Annan used his influence to help Cotecna, his son's employer to win a contract in Iraq's Oil for Food Programme.) Annan's well known sad moments as Secretary-General of the UN was his inability to prevent the US-led invasion of Iraq. And other conflicts and genocides during his term as UN undersecretary in charge of peacekeeping operations in Rwanda, Bosnia, etc that he couldn't avert.
This book is good reading material for scholars, students and all those interested in diplomacy, international affairs, international organisations, war and peace, or anyone interested in the affairs and functioning of the UN as the pre-eminent organisation responsible for international peace and security. I picked this book to read to study the life of Annan and to also mourn his death. I'm grateful I did because it's most stimulating, lucid and insightful. I can't recommend it highly enough.
February 14, 2021
At bogen ville være interessant, var jeg ikke i tvivl om, men at den også var så fængende var en positiv overraskelse.
February 21, 2015
Meisler traces Annan's rise to power on the international stage and his impact on the image and influence of the United Nations. Annan was the first Secretary-General to rise up from within the ranks of the UN, and his experience gave him unique insights into how the UN functions.
Meisler does not make Annan a saint. His weaknesses are discussed along with his strengths, but it is impossible not to be impressed by this gentle, honest man. I was especially impressed by Annan's integrity, even when making the right choice was unpopular and had a significant negative impact on how he was perceived in the international community. For example, the G. W. Bush years of war in Iraq (with which he strongly disagreed) were very hard on his reputation. He was disliked in the United States for his opposition to the war, and criticized by the international community for not being able to prevent the war.
I learned a lot about the UN, both its history and its current position in the world, and I will be much more likely to pay attention to its role in world affairs after having read this biography.
Meisler does not make Annan a saint. His weaknesses are discussed along with his strengths, but it is impossible not to be impressed by this gentle, honest man. I was especially impressed by Annan's integrity, even when making the right choice was unpopular and had a significant negative impact on how he was perceived in the international community. For example, the G. W. Bush years of war in Iraq (with which he strongly disagreed) were very hard on his reputation. He was disliked in the United States for his opposition to the war, and criticized by the international community for not being able to prevent the war.
I learned a lot about the UN, both its history and its current position in the world, and I will be much more likely to pay attention to its role in world affairs after having read this biography.
May 11, 2025
The book is a comprehensive account of the life of former secretary general, Kofi Annan. Though not an official biography, the book gets its credibility through extensive interviews with Kofi Annan and people close to him. The book is chronological for most of its parts, with the first half focussing on early life in Ghana, transitioning to the US and then moving to the UN. The book gets interesting with the sweet-sour working relationship of Kofi with secretary general Boutros-Ghali. The book has dedicated chapters on UN peacekeeping forces and its role in conflicts in Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor and finally Iraq. The book ends with a chapter on Oil for Food scam involving Kofi's son and Kofi's bouts of depression. The book provides a lot of interesting insights on the working of the UN, the role of Secretary general at the time of crisis and the role of the US in maintaining the credibility of the UN. It is a good read for people who want to understand international affairs better.
December 12, 2018
Solid book, not giving the expected insight into Kofi Annan but more of a detailed description on the UNs challenges during the years of Annan as SG. Which is however still Interesting.
Could have been a bit more balanced in opinions. Skewed towards positivism on KA and the UN.
Could have been a bit more balanced in opinions. Skewed towards positivism on KA and the UN.
February 6, 2017
Loved this book. It gives us Kofi Annan, warts and all.
A great introduction to how the UN works and its role in the world. How helpless UN is when it is not backed up by superpower US. About the bullying tactics of US and its self interests.
Gave me a better perspective on the major wars fought in the last few decades. And how ignorant I am of what is happening right now. Need to find out where I can get an unbiased report on world events. All the TV channels that I watch occasionally seems influenced by the western interests or just sensationalised news that really doesn't even deserve any screen time.
A great introduction to how the UN works and its role in the world. How helpless UN is when it is not backed up by superpower US. About the bullying tactics of US and its self interests.
Gave me a better perspective on the major wars fought in the last few decades. And how ignorant I am of what is happening right now. Need to find out where I can get an unbiased report on world events. All the TV channels that I watch occasionally seems influenced by the western interests or just sensationalised news that really doesn't even deserve any screen time.
August 6, 2009
Some interesting insights and a handful of details into the life of a great humanitarian. Meisler certainly has room for improvement with regards to sentence structures, repitition of ideas and creating more vivid images. In contrast, Samantha Power's Chasing the Flame does far more justice to the work of UN leaders.
March 26, 2010
From conflict prevention to human rights, Kofi Annan "has sought to place human beings at the centre of everything" done at/by United Nations. He will indeed be remembered favourably for his work to secure lasting improvement for many people, even though it was overshadowed by the war in Iraq during his term.
April 9, 2009
This si the book that lept out at me, whilst perusing the library - it lept to my attention as said 'read me' ( like so many of my books do). In response to a particular question I was asking myself about world peace. --- 'Seek and ye shall find'
January 30, 2014
Still too early to give a full review, but I lent my copy to a friend before I got to it and she liked it, so there.
April 6, 2008
love this guy
Read
February 25, 2011amazing book...i loved the details
May 19, 2011
After reading this book, Kofi Annan became the person that I want to be. He has become one of the most influential people in my life.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews