The UN Secretary-General and Moral Authority: Ethics and Religion in International Leadership

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354 Kent J. Kille question “Do you believe in God? And to what degree does God or that religious belief inform your decisions?” by stating, “Now, as Secretary-General, it will not be appropriate at this time to talk about my own belief in any particular religion or God.” UN Document SG/2117, October 14, 2006. 4. Olivia Ward, “Next UN Boss a Quiet Workaholic,” Toronto Star, October 8, 2006. Another report further clarifies that Ban is “a member of the ‘Nonchurch Movement’ (Mugyohoe), which spread to Korea from Japan in the 1920s. Its members, mostly intellectuals, make the Gospel a source of inspiration for their private and public life.” Aura Sabadus, “It’s Asia’s Turn, as UN Makes South Korean Next Leader,” Scotsman, October 14, 2006. However, it should be noted that an Economist report that echoed this information subsequently printed a retraction that stated in part, “Mr. Ban does not belong to any church or religious group, believing that faith is an individual matter. We apologise for our error.” “Mission Impossible?” Economist, January 6, 2007. Further demonstrating the perceived importance of religion and the secretary-general, Ward also notes that Ban’s background is “to the annoyance of some Islamic countries, since there has never been a Muslim secretary general.” However, she also observes, “But the Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom appear to be his ruling principles,” which indicates that analysis of Ban’s religious values, as with several of the other secretaries-general, will require broader consideration of spiritual influences. The potential deeper spiritual linkages are also evident in reports from Ban’s home village, which is being visited by those seeking its feng shui good fortune, with his election touted by local residents as an “affirmation” of “old beliefs” and “as the fulfillment of a prophecy.” In addition, Ban’s mother, identified as a Buddhist, indicates that Ban “succeeded because of hard work and good karma built up by a lifetime of generosity.” Martin Fackler, “On His Ancestors ’ Wings, a Korean Soars to the U.N.,” New York Times, December 22, 2006. 5. Secretary-General Ban’s swearing-in ceremony reinforces this view, for he requested to take the oath of office with his hand on the charter, which he said would “illustrate my faith in the Charter.” UN Document SG/2119 and GA/10558, December 14, 2006. 355 Contributors A. Walter Dorn is associate professor of defense studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and cochair of the Department of Security Studies at the RMC-affiliated Canadian Forces College. He is a scientist by training (PhD in chemistry, University of Toronto) whose doctoral research was aimed at chemical sensing for arms control. He assisted with the negotiation, ratification, and implementation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. His interests are now broader, covering both international and human security, especially peacekeeping and the United Nations. He has published works on the secretary-general, focusing on fact finding, early warning, and the use of article 99. He is also interested in the religious dimensions of international relations, and is the author of “Lotus on the Lake: How Eastern Spirituality Contributes to the Vision of World Peace” and “The United Nations as a Spiritual Institution” and the editor of World Order for the New Millennium: Political, Cultural, and Spiritual Approaches to Building Peace (St. Martin’s Press, 1999). He also has experience in UN field missions in conflict areas. In 1999 he served as district electoral officer with the UN mission in East Timor. He has taught peacekeepers in Guatemala as well as at the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre . He served with the United Nations in Ethiopia (UNDP project) and at UN headquarters as a training adviser with the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He recently completed a report for the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping, focusing on monitoring technologies to enhance the safety and effectiveness of UN personnel. DavidP.ForsytheisuniversityprofessorandCharlesJ.MachDistinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Educated at Wake Forest (BA) and Princeton (MA, PhD), he joined the faculty atUNLin1973,servingasdepartmentchairfrom1993to1998.Hehasheld postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton and Yale and visiting professorships at universities in Denmark, Ireland, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. He has been a consultant to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent 356 Contributors Movement, and to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. He served as president of the...