Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Photographs
- List of Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Setting the Stage: The Creation of the UN and Expectations for the Role of the UN Secretary-General
- 2 Establishing Precedents: The Iranian Crisis, UN Membership and the Greek Civil War, 1946
- 3 Urging Forceful Action: ‘The Palestine Problem’ and Management of Regional Conflicts, 1947–49
- 4 Building Bridges: The Cold War from Berlin to Korea, 1947–50
- 5 Advocating Global Interests: Trygve Lie’s Peace Plan, 1950
- 6 Administering the International: The International Civil Service and the UN Secretariat, 1946–53
- Conclusion
- Appendix UN Charter, Chapter XV: The Secretariat
- Notes
- References
- Index
2 - Establishing Precedents: The Iranian Crisis, UN Membership and the Greek Civil War, 1946
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 January 2024
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Photographs
- List of Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Setting the Stage: The Creation of the UN and Expectations for the Role of the UN Secretary-General
- 2 Establishing Precedents: The Iranian Crisis, UN Membership and the Greek Civil War, 1946
- 3 Urging Forceful Action: ‘The Palestine Problem’ and Management of Regional Conflicts, 1947–49
- 4 Building Bridges: The Cold War from Berlin to Korea, 1947–50
- 5 Advocating Global Interests: Trygve Lie’s Peace Plan, 1950
- 6 Administering the International: The International Civil Service and the UN Secretariat, 1946–53
- Conclusion
- Appendix UN Charter, Chapter XV: The Secretariat
- Notes
- References
- Index
Summary
My personal position in relation to the Security Council has also been highly floating and vague. I have a strong feeling that the eleven members of the Security Council do not wish any ‘interference’ from the secretary-general, despite article 99 … the time had come to clarify my own position towards the Council. For me it was ‘to be or not to be’. I felt the whole foundation of my future activities failing.
Trygve Lie (April 1946)Introduction
Once a new IGO is established, it may develop in ways unintended or unanticipated by its state founders. Through the interplay of crisis decision-making, institutional constraints, and the individuals involved, new precedents emerge which build the foundations for the organization’s later operations. As the previous chapter argued, when the UN started operations in 1946 the general expectation among member states was that the UN secretary-general would play some sort of ‘political’ role; however, the precise implications of this were never discussed or spelled out in detail. Article 99 gave the secretary-general the unprecedented right to ‘bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’. But what exactly did this article entail? What would be the relationship between the secretary-general and the Security Council, and what rights and responsibilities did the secretary-general have in the UN’s efforts to maintain international peace and security? The UN founders had left these questions unanswered, but they quickly gained importance as the UN organization faced its first crises in Iran and elsewhere in 1946.
The lack of clarity and agreement on the practical implications of article 99 and the precise nature of the role of the UN secretary-general, meant that the first holder of the office, Trygve Lie, enjoyed considerable autonomy to explore his new position. From the start, Lie was determined to ensure that the UN, and the office of the secretary-general, should serve as ‘a force for peace’ in the world. To this end he sought to clarify the rights and responsibilities of the secretary-general, and to seek the support of the member states for a range of new activities beyond those the League of Nations secretary-general had pursued.
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- In the BeginningSecretary-General Trygve Lie and the Establishment of the United Nations, pp. 29 - 47Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2023