Interventions

Over forty years of service to the United Nations - the last ten as Secretary-General - Kofi Annan has been at the centre of the major geopolitical events of our time. As much a memoir as a guide to world order, THE ARC OF INTERVENTION provides a unique, behind-the-scenes view of global diplomacy during one of the most tumultuous periods in UN history.
With eloquence and immediacy, Annan writes about the highs and lows of his years at the United Nations: from shuttle-diplomacy during crises such as Kosovo, Lebanon and Israel-Palestine to the wrenching battles over the Iraq War to the creation of the landmark Responsibility to Protect doctrine. He is remarkably candid about the organization's failed efforts, particularly in Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Yet Annan embeds these tragedies within the context of global politics, revealing how, time and again, the nations of the world have retreated from the UN's radical mandate. Ultimately, Annan shows readers a world where solutions are available, if we have the will and courage to see them through.

Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations - serving two terms between 1997 and 2006. In 2001 Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with the citation praising his leadership for "bringing new life to the organization." Born in Ghana in 1938, Annan is the first sub-Saharan African to hold the post of Secretary-General.