Ban Ki-Moon, The Best
by James Na ~ August 22nd, 2006. Filed under: Asia, Diplomacy, Geopolitics, U.S.-Korea Relations, UN.… only according to Tom Plate. (Had you there for a while, didn’t I?)
The career diplomat, whom I interviewed in Los Angeles recently, does his homework, really knows his stuff, works harder than anyone in the South Korean foreign ministry, is a straight-shooter, speaks several languages excellently, including English, is well liked by his diplomatic colleagues from Singapore to Tokyo to much of Africa and Latin America, gets along swimmingly with the top diplomats of both the United States as well as China — and he is a nice guy as well.
Sounds like Minister Ban would be perfect for running the PTA in a major American city. (¿Pero habla español?)
Loyal readers might recall Plate misappropriating and misrepresenting Andrei Lankov recently to continue pushing his pro-”engagement” theory regarding North Korea.
Ah, the good old days when Plate enthusiastically hailed Roh Moo-Hyun as a man of the South Korean people and “the right choice” for South Koreans… long before Roh and his administration plunged in popularity. Now poor Tom Plate is reduced to pitching the foreign minister of the Roh administration as the next United Nations chief, by portraying him a popular and well-liked (including by the U.S. administration) figure.
And if this too fails, what is he to do?
Well, there is always being an apologist for the PRC regime and telling the West what it must not do when it speaks of China… because, you know, only the Great Plate can speak as The Defender of Chinese SensitivitiesTM.
August 22nd, 2006 at 6:20 am
Well spotted, James! Its one thing to try to convince people he is popular in Washington, but saying he is popular in Tokyo beggars belief.
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:22 am
He isn’t popular in Washington. I’d be amazed if some parties here weren’t working their dark arts to keep him from getting the Sec Gen position.
A year from now, Ban won’t even represent the prevailing political view of his home country (although I fully expect most Koreans to overlook that based on ethnic identification with Ban). Ban is a dedicated enabler of the worst evils on earth. He’s the kind of awful choice that makes you want to send in the Marshals to haul out the the U.N.’s furniture, and every one of its files not under a federal court subpoena, and load them onto the next barge for Marseille.
August 22nd, 2006 at 1:39 pm
thanks for this.
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:51 pm
LOL, “his diplomatic colleagues from Singapore to Tokyo” probably find him overweening, coming from a nation that routinely likes to bill its scientists (Dr. Hwang) and atheletes as the “Pride of Asia.”