A huge scam

This book would have us beleive that were it not for 'bad' America the UN would have magically solved all the world's problems. But let us take one test case for this. Where has Kofi Annan been on Darfur and the genocide in the Sudan? Has he done anything? Dag Hamarskojld, the first Secretary General bullied western nations to intervene in the Congolese crises in Katanga in 1960. It is strange that he was able to acheive results in a place that was not a genocide, but Kofi wasn't able to do anything and not only that he won't even call the complete ethnic cleansing and murde rof 200,000 Blacks by White Arab miltiias 'genocide'. Kofi Anna is not the 'best' Secretary General, he is in fact the weakest and worst, the only thing he had going for him was that he was not a former Nazi the way Kurt Waldheim was. When Kofi goes the UN and the world will be a better place. This book doesnt bother to ask any important questions such as: Why did Kofi Annan's family become millionares through UN handouts and jobs while he was in charge, why is Kofi Annans house getting a 4 million dollar renovation? Why did the UN Human rights commission critisize Israel 50 times more than any other country in the entire world, thus attributing the problems of 6 billion people to a nation of 5 million? Why did the UN do nothing on the Sudanese genocide, the war in Congo and wars in Sri Lanka or anywhere else? Why did the UN ethnically cleanse all of the Serbs from Kosovo and why did it also colonize Kosovo?

Timely, Relevant, Useful, Incomplete, Well-Presented, Lacking Notes & Larger Context

I give this book five stars instead of four, which I would normally assign, because the shortfalls in the book, most especially a lack of context, notes, and additional detail, are out-weighed by the timeliness, relevance, utility, and able original presentation.

Extraordinarily detailed reporting, cannily written

I have been a longtime fan of the writings of James Traub, so my view of his books is obviously somewhat biased. Nevertheless, I was astonished by the depth of his reporting about the United Nations and Kofi Annan. In view of the immense access that the U.N.'s outgoing secretary general gave him, Traub would have been surely tempted to write a hagiography. But he shows himself to be the consummate professional. This book is as much about Annan's setbacks and mistakes as it is about his triumphs. If Annan is as fair-minded as he's reported to be, then he is bound to be impressed by Traub's efforts. I doubt there's ever been such an extensively detailed work about the U.N., that beleaguered 192-nation body that has so much potential and yet has been handicapped by the mismanagement, corruption and straying from its mission of promoting global peace and security, and sustainable economic development. Traub captures it all -- the daily drama of development, the anguish of peacekeeping forces, the thankless grind of the U.N.'s field workers, the haughtiness of some of the organization's top povertycrats. Traub's narrative also makes for marvelous reading -- it's an unputdownable book. I predict that even those who might not be necessarily friends or critics of multilateral diplomacy will enjoy "The Best Intentions."