Shashi Tharoor : India’s Nominee For the Post of Chief of the United Nations
This was a surprise choice! And there has been a mixed response to India’s nominee Shashi Tharoor, senior U.N. official and author, to succeed Kofi Annan when the latter’s 10-year term as United Nations secretary-general ends in December this year. However, the US administration does not seem averse to his candidature (in fact Tharoor enjoys “a greatest regard”).
Tharoor, 50, an Indian who is currently the U.N. undersecretary general for communications and public information, has been with the world body since 1978, in refugee affairs, peacekeeping and in Annan’s executive office.
Born in London, and educated in India and the United States, Tharoor received a doctorate and two masters degrees at the age of 22 from Tuft University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, says Reuters. His two sons are studying at Yale.
He is the author of nine books — three novels, a collection of short stories and five nonfiction books. His books include Reasons of State (1982), a scholarly study of Indian foreign policy; The Great Indian Novel (1989), a political satire; The Five-Dollar Smile & Other Stories (1990); a second novel, Show Business (1992), which received a front-page accolade from The New York Times Book Review and was made into a motion picture titled Bollywood; and India: From Midnight to the Millennium (1997), published on the 50th anniversary of India’s independence.
On August 13, 2001 Penguin Books (India) published Tharoor’s latest novel Riot. The US edition was published by Arcade on September 28, 2001.
Other Asians in the running include South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala. Pakistan may also join the race by declaring its nominee soon.
The US holds India’s nominee for UN Secretary General’s post Shashi Tharoor in “greatest regard”, but has not made any decision on whom it would support to succeed Kofi Annan, says TheTimes of India.
“Our administration has not yet made a decision on whom we will support to succeed Secretary General Kofi Annan. But we certainly hold Shashi Tharoor in greatest regard and I look forward to meeting him in my office,” the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told reporters on Wednesday.
“I don’t think President Bush will make this decision until much further into the process” he added.
Tharoor’s article that gives a fairly good insight into his thinking on the present situation, appeared in The Indian Express today.
Shashi Tharoor also has an interesting website.
There is an interesting blog devoted to the forthcoming UN election race, and provides comments on the candidates and their chances of winning.
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My website is following the race. Please visit and watch.
“Tharoor received a doctorate and two masters degrees at the age of 22 ”
apparently a smart guy, no?
Anyone that writes a political satire book probably has the right idea about world affairs hehe.
I had just never realized it was 10 full years. A wee bit long, no?
I have published some interesting informastion about Shashi Tharoor, namely his dubvious connections with Sathya Sai Baba:
Shashi Tharoor: Next UN Sec-Gen?
Rationalists Boo Shashi Tharoor
Vajpayee Endorses Shashi Tharoor
Hope you find this interesting.