Ban Has Talent

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Today the United Nations Security Council will choose a new secretary general in a vote. Count me among the few not to be surprised that South Korea’s foreign minister, Ban Ki-Moon, has emerged as the consensus candidate. Given the critical missions the United Nations has taken on across the world — from providing humanitarian aid to maintaining the rule of law to dealing with a seemingly endless string of global crises — the selection of Mr. Annan’s replacement is vitally important to both America and every member of the international community. The world body needs a leader of the highest quality, one who understands and appreciates the value of the U.N. and the noble ideals upon which it was originally conceived.

Mr. Ban fits that description to a tee. A widely respected veteran of the international diplomatic corps, the Harvard-educated Mr. Ban happens to possess one quality offered by no other candidate for the job: He comes from a nation that almost certainly wouldn’t exist without the intervention of the U.N. Just two days after North Korea invaded its southern neighbor in 1950, the U.N. approved deployment of an American-led international force to drive North Korea back across the 38th parallel. (At the time, the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council to protest the exclusion of the People’s Republic of China from the U.N., and so couldn’t veto the measure).

As an army officer serving in the Korean War and as a businessman establishing operations there in the decades thereafter, I witnessed the immense good the U.N. is capable of producing. In many respects, South Korea is a child of the U.N., which saved the fledgling nation from extinction, then helped raise it from the rubble of war and, ultimately, transformed it into a stable democracy with a vibrant, free-market economy that is now the world’s tenth largest.

As for the greater international community, these are no doubt trying times. The world does not sit easy on its axis, with war, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Based on a lifetime spent opening markets in the developing world, I have seen first-hand how instability on this scale impedes economic growth, particularly in the poorest countries. All the more reason why we need strong, enlightened leadership at the top of the U.N.

Mr. Ban, who was six years old when North Korea invaded his homeland, understands in his bones the U.N.’s importance, and what it can achieve when it fulfills its highest ideals. His illustrious career has included high-level assignments at the U.N. as well as a leading role in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving North Korea’s nuclear threat — meaning he’ll be well positioned to bring that dangerous standoff to a safe conclusion.

Another reason to support Mr. Ban is that this year an Asian candidate is expected to fill the post (the last secretary general from Asia was Burma’s U Thant, who retired 35 years ago).While there are other impressive candidates in the race, only Mr. Ban has had the benefit of seeing his country survive and thrive by virtue of the U.N.’s intervention.Today, just over a half century since that decisive intervention took place, the symbolism of electing a South Korean — one of great accomplishment — to lead the U.N. would be both powerful and profound. That’s why Minister Ban is manifestly the right man for the job.

Mr. Greenberg, former chairman of the U.S.-Korea Business Council and of AIG, is chief executive officer of C.V. Starr & Co.


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