THE QUESTION

Write an open letter to the new UN Secretary General.
Posted by Sami Moubayed on January 8, 2007 5:18 PM

FROM THE PANEL

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955. Presently he is a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States. Mr. Kuttab is the former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah, Palestine and the founder of AmmanNet, the Arab world's first internet radio station. His personal web page is www.daoudkuttab.com

Sharpen the UN's Teeth

Ramallah, Palestine/Amman, Jordan - Strengthen the international court and create a strong UN force able to intervene quickly.

Daoud Kuttab Jerusalem/Amman, Jordan | 21 COMMENTS
Jan 11, 2007 at 5:07 AM
Saul Singer is Editorial Page Editor and author of the weekly column “Interesting Times” for the Jerusalem Post. He is the author of Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle and the World After 9/11. Before moving to Israel from the Washington area in 1994, Mr. Singer served for ten years as an advisor on the personal and committee staffs of the United States Congress, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Connie Mack.

Recognize Self-Defense

Jerusalem, Israel - As much as we in Israel distrust the UN, which at times seems oddly dedicated to supporting our enemies, we wish that you will be successful at reforming this critical institution.

Saul Singer Jerusalem, Israel | 33 COMMENTS
Jan 10, 2007 at 9:53 AM
Miriam Leitao is a reporter and columnist for O Globo and Radio CBN in Brazil. She is also a commentator on Globo TV Network and runs her own blog, www.miriamleitao.com, hosted at Globo online at www.oglobo.com.br. She was awarded Columbia University’s Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 2005.

Fight for Principles

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Please, do not forget that the organization you run belongs to the world, not to the United States.

Miriam Leitao Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12 COMMENTS
Jan 9, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst and historian based in Damascus, Syria. Moubayed is the author of "Damascus Between Democracy and Dictatorship (2000)" and "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000 (2006)." He has also authored a biography of Syria's former President Shukri al-Quwatli and currently serves as Associate Professor at the Faculty of International Relations at al-Kalamoun University in Syria. In 2004, he created Syrianhistory.com, the first and online museum of Syrian history. He is also co-founder and editor-in-chief of FORWARD, the leading English monthly in Syria, and Vice-President of Haykal Media.

Support Palestine's Struggle

Damascus, Syria - Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the U.N.'s image has been severely damaged in the Arab World, but you can change this.

Sami Moubayed Damascus, Syria | 168 COMMENTS
Jan 9, 2007 at 2:29 AM
Shim Jae Hoon is a Seoul-based journalist and commentator writing for a variety of international publications including YaleGlobal Online, The Straits Times of Singapore, The Taipei Times and Korea Herald. He was a correspondent for Far Eastern Economic Review in Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta.

Claim Your Own Agenda

Seoul, South Korea- Your reputation as a "slippery eel", earned by carefully avoiding difficult press questions during your tenure as South Korea's foreign minister will serve you no good in this new post.

Shim Jae Hoon South Korea | 8 COMMENTS
Jan 9, 2007 at 1:21 AM
Miklós Vámos is a Hungarian novelist, screenwriter and talk show host. He is one of the most read and respected writers in his native Hungary. He has taught at Yale University on a Fulbright fellowship, served as The Nation’s East European correspondent, worked as consultant on the Oscar-winning film Mephisto, and presented Hungary’s most-watched cultural television show. Vámos has received numerous awards for his plays, screenplays, novels and short stories, including the Hungarian Merit Award for lifetime achievement. The Book of Fathers is considered his most accomplished novel and has sold 200,000 copies in Hungary.

Be Realistic But Confident

Budapest, Hungary - Do not follow the example of your predecessors and do not underestimate the power of the UN.

Miklos Vamos Budapest, Hungary | 3 COMMENTS
Jan 9, 2007 at 12:47 AM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Open Your "Windows"

Tehran, Iran - Revamp the UN. Detection tools or disingenuous oil-for-fool programs have long passed their useful life in this global village.

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 9 COMMENTS
Jan 8, 2007 at 9:52 AM

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