A Life in Peace and War

by Brian Urquhart

Book Overview

How can peace be encouraged and sustained in a violent world? For nearly half a century at the United Nations, ultimately as Under Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs, Brian Urquhart wrestled with this problem at its front lines. Managing the United Nations' peacekeeping operations in the world's hot spots--the Congo in the aftermath of Patrice Lumumba's assassination, Cyprus at the bloodiest moment of conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Kashmir, and, through the tragic cycle of four wars, the Middle East--he has tested the limits, and the possibilities, of peacekeeping in the modern world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393307719
• ISBN13: 9780393307719
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 420 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A rare person who doesn't blow his own horn

Urquhart's book could have been just like so many others in detailing political events in the last fifty years. It is unique however because the author doesn't let his own narrative and the event s of his own life over-ride the significance of the political ones. This is indeed rare: not many political personages or at least autobiography writers can resist the temptation to make their role greater than it was. Urquhart comes across as self-effacing, discreet, and above all, imaginative. If you want to know what's been happening in the field of collective security, and the UN's involvement in this aspect, this is a great read.