Overview

The United Nations wrestles daily with questions of peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, the rule of law, good governance, and humanitarian assistance. But at root, the UN's work is about mobilizing efforts to serve humanity. Kofi Annan, the UN's seventh secretary general, recognized a role in these efforts beyond that of diplomats and peacekeepers. He engaged not only the governments of the UN's 193 member states but also academics, artists, and other opinion shapers, aware of their enormous potential as advocates and valued partners in achieving the goals of the UN. As part of this initiative, in 2002 he established the Secretary-General's Lecture Series. The Brilliant Art of Peace presents lectures delivered by seventeen of the world's most eminent thinkers, including several Nobel laureates, during Annan's tenure. The lectures challenge prevailing thinking on important issues such as globalization, human rights, identity, religion, science and technology, economics, the humanities, language, music, and the United Nations. The reader will find humor, moral rigor, and wit in this thought-provoking and timeless collection. A must-have for any reader interested in the human condition.

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9781601271426

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I am convinced that the language that has the most force, that requires the more acumen, talent, grace, genius, and, yes, beauty, can never be again be found in paeans to the glory of war or erotic rallying cries to battle. The power of this alternative language does not arise from the tiresome, wasteful art of war, but, rather, from the demanding, brilliant art of peace.--Toni Morrison

I am convinced that the language that has the most force, that requires the more acumen, talent, grace, genius, and, yes, beauty, can never be again be found in paeans to the glory of war or erotic rallying cries to battle. The power of this alternative language does not arise from the tiresome, wasteful art of war, but, rather, from the demanding, brilliant art of peace.

Author Information

"Abi Williams is professor of the practice of international politics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and director of The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he served for four years as president of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. Williams served at the United States Institute of Peace as senior vice president of the Center for Conflict Management from 2010 to 2012, and as vice president of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention from 2008 to 2009. From 2001 to 2007 he was director of strategic planning for United Nations Secretaries-General Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan in New York. He gained valuable field operational experience, serving with the United Nations from 1994 to 2000 in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Haiti, in senior political and humanitarian roles. Professor Williams has held previous academic appointments including as Centennial Fellow and assistant professor of international relations at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and associate dean for academic affairs, Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He is the author of a book on conflict prevention, and editor of two others. He is the co-editor of ""The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council: A Dynamic Relationship,"" published by Oxford University Press in 2018. He moderates the Conversation Series Global Perspectives on Race, Justice and Equity."

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