The Horseshoe Table - An Inside View of the UN Security Council

The Horseshoe Table - An Inside View of the UN Security Council

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Author: Chinmaya R Gharekhan
Foreword/Introductio: Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali
Publisher: Pearson Longman
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 328
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8177584537

Description

We the Peoples, in whose name the United Nations was created in 1945, assess the success or failure of the Organisation primarily by its effectiveness in maintaining or restoring peace and stability in the world. The work of the Security Council, which has been charged with the responsibility of securing and preserving peace, is shrouded in secrecy for the most part, except for the occasional public, showcase meetings which it holds from time to time.

How does the Security Council conduct its business? How does deal with the challenges which it is called upon to handle every time a serious crisis breaks out? How does it arrive at its decisions which are embodied in the form of resolutions or presidential statements? How do the permanent members strike deals amongst themselves and take care to accommodate each other’s concerns? What part does the Secretary-General play in this crucial field? What is the state of the relationship between him and the Security Council?

In this unique, unprecedented and intimate account, Chinmaya Gharekhan takes us through the meetings of the Security Council as it debated such issues as emergency situations during the first Gulf War; Iraq’s WMD programme and the work of the special commission set up to eliminate them; the beginnings of the Oil-for-Food programme; the Balkan War of the early 1990s; the Rwanda Genocide, and the Lockerbie disaster involving Libya.

There are two chapters giving graphic accounts of the election of the Secretary-General, a process which is shrouded in complete secrecy. The Horseshoe table provides a ringside view of the functioning of this organ which, in theory, is a vital instrument at the service of the international community but over which the same international community has hardly any control.

REVIEWS

This unique inside-account by a brilliant diplomat is a must for everyone interested in global affairs. The debate over the UN will never be the same.
-Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, President of Iceland

Ambassador Gharekhan’s book is a fascinating, first-hand account of the functioning of the most important organ of the United Nations-the UN Security Council. The book is a rare look into the organization, its members and its inner workings. Gharekhan is unfailingly honest about the shortcomings of the present Security Council, the need for reform, and the possibilities of what the organization can still achieve. His book greatly contributes to our understanding of the Security Council, and its role in the pursuit of peace across the world.
-N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

Few people on our planet are aware that the UN Security Council is probably the most powerful international organization. It has the power to authorize war. Despite its great importance, the Security Council has been shrouded in secrecy, with few understanding how it really works. Chinmaya Gharekhan has done mankind a huge service by lifting this veil of secrecy. He provides many useful and fascinating insights into the real nature of the council. I strongly commended this book and I hope it will be widely read.
-Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS and author of Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding rust between America and the World.

Ambassador Chinmaya Gharekhan has a unique perspective on the workings of the United Nations Security Council-first as an effective and courageous Permanent Representative of India, and then from the other side of the fence as the representative of Secretary-General Boutros Ghali to the Council. His insights into the workings of the institution that determines questions of international peace and security are profound, educative and wise. I recommend this book to anyone interested in an insider’s account of the chief deliberative organ of the United Nations at a crucial period of world history.
-Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations and prize-winning author.

Contents

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

Procedures and Practices of the Security Council
Gulf War 1991
Iraq, WMD and Oil-For-Food
Former Yugoslavia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Middle East
Libya-The Lockerbie Disaster
Haiti
Rwanda Genocide
Election of the Secretary General (1991)
Election of the Secretary General (1996)
Some Thoughts on Reform of the Security Council

INDEX