Based on a wealth of sources, files and interviews, and including previously unpublished material, this book explores the foundations of the political ethics of Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, examining how they influenced his actions in several key crisis situations.

Hammarskjold's political innovations, such as the creation of peacekeeping forces, the use of private diplomacy and the concept of the international civil service, were bold attempts at translating the aims and principles of the UN charter into concrete thought and action. Kofi Annan described Hammarskjold's approach as a useful guideline to dealing with the problems of a globalized world. Offering a topical perspective on a subject that has not recently been explored, this book analyzes Hammarskjold's successes and failures in a way which offers insights into contemporary problems, and in doing so provides a significant and original contribution to UN studies.

Political Ethics and The United Nations will be of interest to students of the United Nations, peace studies, and international relations in general.

Based on a wealth of sources, files and interviews, and including previously unpublished material, this book explores the foundations of the political ethics of Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, examining how they influenced his actions in several key crisis situations.

Hammarskjold's political innovations, such as the creation of peacekeeping forces, the use of private diplomacy and the concept of the international civil service, were bold attempts at translating the aims and principles of the UN charter into concrete thought and action. Kofi Annan described Hammarskjold's approach as a useful guideline to dealing with the problems of a globalized world. Offering a topical perspective on a subject that has not recently been explored, this book analyzes Hammarskjold's successes and failures in a way which offers insights into contemporary problems, and in doing so provides a significant and original contribution to UN studies.

Political Ethics and The United Nations will be of interest to students of the United Nations, peace studies, and international relations in general.

The United Nations Secretary-General and the United Nations Security Council spend significant amounts of time on their relationship with each other. They rely on each other for such important activities as peacekeeping, international mediation, and the formulation and application of normative standards in defense of international peace and security - in other words the executive aspects of the UN's work. The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council fills an important lacuna in the scholarship on the UN system. Although there exists today an impressive body of literature on the development and significance of the Secretariat and the Security Council as separate organs, an important gap remains in our understanding of the interactions between them. Bringing together some of the most prominent authorities on the subject, this volume is the first book-length treatment of this topic. It studies the UN from an innovative angle, creating new insights on the (autonomous) policy-making of international organizations, and adds to our understanding of the dynamics of intra-organizational relationships. Within the book, the contributors examine how each Secretary-General interacted with the Security Council, touching upon such issues as the role of personality, the formal and informal infrastructure of the relationship, the selection and appointment processes, as well as the Secretary-General's threefold role as a crisis manager, administrative manager, and manager of ideas.