Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication INTRODUCTION Part I One - DISPLACED Two - “I WILL NEVER USE THE WORD ’UNACCEPTABLE’ AGAIN” Three - BLOOD RUNNING BLUE Four - HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING Five - “BLACK BOXING” Six - WHITE CAR SYNDROME Seven - “SANDWICHES AT THE GATES” Eight - "SERBIO” Nine - IN RETROSPECT Ten - DAMNED IF YOU DO Part II Eleven - “GIVING WAR A CHANCE” Twelve - INDEPENDENCE IN ACTION Thirteen - VICEROY Fourteen - BENEVOLENT DICTATOR Fifteen - HOARDING POWER, HOARDING BLAME Sixteen - "A NEW SERGIO” Part III Seventeen - “ FEAR IS A BAD ADVISER” Eighteen - "DON’T ASK WHO STARTED THE FIRE” Nineteen - “YOU CAN’T HELP PEOPLE FROM A DISTANCE” Twenty - REBUFFED Twenty-one - AUGUST 19, 2003 Twenty-two - POSTMORTEM EPILOGUE Acknowledgements NOTES LIST OF INTERVIEWS (excluding sources who asked not to be named) PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS INDEX About the Author THE PENGUIN PRESS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700,Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell,Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England First published in 2008 by The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc Copyright © Samantha Power, 2008 All rights reserved Photograph credits appear on pages 595-96 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Power, Samantha Chasing the flame : Sergio Vieira de Mello and the fight to save the world / Samantha Power p cm Includes bibliographical references and index eISBN : 978-1-436-21021-8 Mello, Sérgio Vieira de, 1948-2003 United Nations High Commission for Human Rights 3.War relief Peace building Iraq War, 2003—Casualties United Nations—Biography Diplomats—Brazil—Biography I.Title D839.7.M45P 341.4’8092—dc22 Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated http://us.penguingroup.com For Morton Abramowitz, Stephen Power, and Frederick Zollo CHRONOLOGY on Akashi amoral attitude of arrival author meeting in Zagreb on Bosnia and Somalia as intertwined civilians evacuated from Sarajevo by close calls in as Department of Civil Affairs head as escaping criticism on forgetting history in Yugoslavia and Karadžić as leaving with bitterness and market massacre on NATO air strikes on political solution required for former Yugoslavia prisoner exchange negotiated by retrospective reflections on UNPROFOR as returning in in return to normal life in and Rose routine in Sarajevo and Serb attack on Gorazde enclave and Silajdžić as Stoltenberg’s political adviser on UN peacekeepers escorting Serb tanks in Cambodia as assembling his team as befriending the powerful book proposal on and Boutros Boutros-Ghali , on Khmer Rouge resistance to Akashi lucky suits of Montagnards evacuated by as negotiating with Khmer Rouge on Quick Impact Projects railway reopened by refugees returned to Khmer Rouge territory repatriation of refugees resentment of investment in Yugoslavia Courtland Robinson’s critical reflections on work of strained relations with Akashi tensions with Sanderson and UN officials and Cambodian women children of See Vieira de Mello, Adrien; Vieira de Mello, Laurent after death of in East Timor adaptability of departure from on disbanding FALINTIL eagerness to hold elections economic policy as establishing relationship with Gusmão as having to start from scratch on humanitarian crisis following independence referendum and law-and-order gap on Multinational Force National Consultative Council established by relationships with staff routine in symbolism as important to Tetum language studied by Timorese protests against UN rule Timorization as training Timorese for government UN rules hindering administration by on UNTAET budget education of doctoral thesis at Franco-Brazilian lycée master’s degree at Sorbonne state doctorate at University of Fribourg at University of Rio de Janeiro and human rights See also as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights below as becoming more outspoken advocate for as compromising with governments at expense of on importance of as studing theory and practice of on UN Commission on Human Rights and intergovernmental conference on former Soviet Union in Iraq See also last day of below and American rule established in Iraq as anxious to leave Iraq appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq as arrival in Baghdad, , as assembling team for Coalition attempts to search car of Coalition refusing to share intelligence with Dana killing condemned by de-Ba’athification opposed by on detainees in U.S custody and deteriorating security situation diminishing influence of as distancing himself from Coalition on elections on ending the occupation on Governing Council , , on Green Zone at Imam Ali shrine on Iraqi attitude toward UN and law-and-order problem learning tour as meeting with al-Sadr as meeting with al-Sistani as meeting with Bush before leaving and mutual distrust of U.S and UN as not speaking Arabic on the occupation as fact office of on power sharing and legitimacy personal security relationship with Bremer residence in Baghdad response to U.S invasion with Shiite clerics in Hillah, speculation about Iraq role for trip to northern Iraq UN headquarters in Baghdad on UN role in postinvasion Iraq on U.S threat to invade at World Economic Forum meeting and Kosovo conflict as assembling team for assessment mission behind Serb lines as continuing to monitor farewell tour of former Yugoslavia first press conference and Kosovar refugees Kosovo Transitional Council set up by Kouchner replacing on NATO intervention policing Kosovo refusal to speak Portuguese with Jovanovic as temporary administrator as testifying before Security Council on Vieira de Mello, Sergio, Kosovo conflict (cont.) UN rules hindering administration by last day in life of in Lebanon as “black chapter” in life of departure from after Israeli invasion of after Israeli invasion of and Kaloush killing as learning to live in war zone Urquhart’s opinion of at U.S embassy lessons from career of on complexity, humility, and patience as engaging all kinds on fixing the international system on flaws in the international system on law and security first in Mozambique perpetrator of attack on reason for targeting personal characteristics of attitude toward U.S Buddhism as interest desire to be liked fear of early death grace under pressure obsessive punctuality pride in Brazil religious views reputation for elegance professional characteristics and interests of on “black boxing,” as charmer of thugs as combining personal and professional lives contradictions in on expectation management on “hitting the ground running,” languages spoken military interests mythic persona note-taking on hotel stationery pads political job sought political negotiation as interest popularity in Washington pragmatism as problem solver as refusing to make enemies “Sergio letters,” as staying in touch with Headquarters willingness to go where needed Wilsonian leanings relationships with women marriage to Annie Personnaz See Vieira de Mello, Annie Personnaz relationship with Carolina Larriera See Larriera, Carolina and Rwandan refugees charter flight to Kigali criticism of Rwanda policies of as feeling that mission failed at genocide sites with Bakhet as humanitarian coordinator as meeting with Baril in Entebbe as meeting with Kabila on refugee camps on Zairean border repatriation of refugees from Tanzania repatriation of refugees to Rwanda repatriation of refugees from Zaire as sliping into eastern Zaire in Sudan as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Annan appointing him high commissioner dissatisfaction as high commissioner as first commissioner to meet with U.S president plans for restructuring plans to return to after Iraq United Nations career of See also as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights above Annan on irreplaceability of aspiration to be secretary-general as assistant secretary-general friendship with Casella as Hocké’s chief of staff Jamieson as mentor of as joining UNHCR as leaving UNHCR on potential of UN relationship with Ogata seen as future secretary-general seen as Ogata’s replacement at UNHCR UN as family of UN as nationality of as under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs as UNHCR Asia Bureau director as UNHCR deputy head of personnel services as UNHCR director of external relations as UNHCR policy planning and operations director as UNHCR regional representative for South America on UN impartiality and Vietnamese boat people views of on “affirmative action,” on danger to humanitarian personnel on democracy evolution of ideas of on fear as bad adviser on force for humanitarian purposes on “getting real,” on Great Lakes region of Africa on Hammarskjöld principles on humanitarian crises as political crises on legitimacy Luttwak’s “Give War a Chance” criticized by on “new world order” after end of cold war on no such thing as distant crisis provision of law and order recommended by on Security Council primacy on state-building UN war crimes tribunal supported by on UN weapons inspectors spying for U.S youth of birth of on coup of Lacerda supported by as student revolutionary Vieira de Mello, Sonia , Vieira de Mello,Tarcilo Vietnamese boat people Villanova, Jon Vincentis, Giuseppe de Vollmer, Rand von Zehle,William: in Canal Hotel rescue operation Larriera tracking down on SVDM’s resistance to pulling mission out Walzer, Gerald war crimes tribunals: International Criminal Court (ICC) for Khmer Rouge SVDM as supporter of for Yugoslavia Watson, Fiona Weinberger, Caspar White Car Syndrome Williams, Michael Williams, Roy Wilson,Woodrow Wiranto, General Wirth,Tim Wolfowitz, Paul Woodruff, Judy Yeah Ath Yeltsin, Boris Younes, Nadia Young, Kirsten Yugoslavia, former Yugoslavia aid workers and peacekeepers sent to basics of crisis in Dayton peace agreement SVDM becoming Stoltenberg’s political adviser in SVDM on forgetting history in SVDM’s resentment of disproportionate international investment in war crimes tribunal for See also Bosnia; Kosovo; Serbs al-Zarqawi, Abu Mussab Zinni, Anthony “Zionism equals racism” resolution ABOUT THE AUTHOR Samantha Power, Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, is the author of “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide (Harper Collins, 2003), which won the 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Arthur Ross Prize Book Award for the best book on foreign policy, and the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction She remains an active journalist, reporting from Rwanda, Burundi, Cambodia, Kosovo, East Timor, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and elswehere She is a contributor to The New Yorker and a foreign policy columnist for Time magazine She was the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Kennedy School (1998-2002), and from 1993 to 1996 she covered the wars in the former Yugoslavia as a reporter for The Boston Globe and U.S News & World Report She is the editor, with Graham Allison, of Realizing Human Rights: Moving from Inspiration to Impact (St Martin’s, 2000) A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Power moved to the United States from Ireland in 1979, at the age of nine Quotations that are not sourced in the Notes are taken from my interviews, conducted between January 2004 and November 2007 Prince Sadruddin was the second son of Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III, imam of the Ismaili Shiites He spent much of his youth in India, but he had French, Iranian, and Swiss nationalities Educated at Harvard, he became the publisher of the Paris Review in the early 1950s and then joined the UN as a civil servant He was appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 1965 at the age of thirty-two, a post he held until 1977 U.S officials were normally unwilling to criticize Israel, but in 1978 President Jimmy Carter was closing in on his landmark Camp David peace deal between Israel and Egypt, and he feared that an Israeli occupation of Lebanon could derail it Carter decided that the best way to secure an Israeli withdrawal while also saving Israeli face was to authorize the dispatch of UN peacekeepers The United States drove a resolution through the Council, taking Israel by surprise, and the Soviets abstained from the vote In 2006, after Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel prompted another Israeli invasion, the Security Council authorized a 12,000-person UN force for southern Lebanon Israel criticized the resolution because again Hezbollah fighters were permitted to remain in the south In December 1991 the UN General Assembly voted to revoke the 1975 resolution Haddad’s army, which he called the South Lebanese Army, was made up largely of poor Shi’a from the border villages In 2007 President George W Bush would name Crocker U.S ambassador to Iraq Vieira de Mello was also named secretary of the executive committee The four Cambodian parties that signed the Paris agreement were FUNCINPEC, the antiCommunist royalist party of Prince Sihanouk, led by his son, Prince Norodom Ranariddh; the somewhat marginal Khmer People’s National Liberation Front (KPNLF) of former prime minister Son Sann; the Khmer Rouge (KR), formally under Khieu Samphan (but with Pol Pot still in fact in charge); and the State of Cambodia (SOC), controlled by Prime Minister Hun Sen 10 The KR controlled three camps—Site 8, O’Trao, and Site K.The KPNLF, Son Sann’s faction, controlled two—Sok Sann and Site FUNCINPEC controlled one—Site B And the final site, KhaoI-Dang, was controlled not by any faction but by UNHCR 11 The UN Security Council authorized a core of 15,900 military troops, along with 3,600 police monitors and 2,400 civilian administrators 12 238 men, 58 women and 102 children (and dogs and monkeys and even a hen)25 13 I use the word “Bosnian” to describe those who remained in territory under Bosnian government control and who, for much of the war, clung to the ideal of a multiethnic, unitary state At the outset the “Bosnians” were Muslim, Croat, and Serb, but by the end of the war “Bosnian” and “Muslim” had become almost synonymous After the war the term “Bosniak” was introduced to describe this mainly Muslim population 14 Between 1992 and 1996 some three million Russians had fled the other republics for Russia 15 Between 1994 and 2000 Kagame was the country’s vice president and minister of defense He became president in the spring of 2000 16 Critics believed that Ogata created a false dichotomy between withdrawing and remaining, instead of creatively responding to the bind in which UNHCR found itself They say UNHCR should have insisted on moving the camps deeper into Zaire to cut down on violent cross-border raids, or it should have cut off aid in certain camps to see whether this might prompt those who had committed no crimes during the genocide to return to their homes, leaving the guilty in Zaire to fend for themselves 17 The corridors UNHCR proposed would run from Goma to Gisenyi, Rwanda; Bukavu to Cyangugu, Rwanda; and Uvira to Bujumbura, Burundi 18 The 1974Yugoslav constitution had given the province of Kosovo self-governing powers comparable to those of Serbia and the country’s other five republics In 1989, however, Milošević stripped the province of its autonomy and put it under Serbia’s jurisdiction For clarity, I will refer to “Kosovo” and “Serbia” as if they were separate geographic entities, when in fact Kosovo was a province within Serbia 19 Montenegro and Serbia were close allies, which then jointly made up the “Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.” 20 UN officials present that day still dispute who actually arrived first and won the bet 21 In 2007 French president Nicolas Sarkozy named Kouchner as his foreign minister 22 The UN system uses five escalating security phases to describe the prevailing conditions in a country and the commensurate requirements for staff: Phase I, precautionary; Phase II, restricted movement; Phase III, relocation; Phase IV, program suspension; Phase V, which can be declared only by the secretary-general, evacuation 23 Annick Roulet had gotten married in 1999, and her married name was Stevenson 24 The question of whether Vieira de Mello could have become secretary-general ignites great debate even today Since it was in fact Asia’s turn to nominate a secretary-general in 2006, those who believed Vieira de Mello would be appointed assumed that national rivalries in Asia would prevent them from reaching a consensus and that Vieira de Mello would be chosen to break the stalemate Others thought that, having waited several decades for its turn, Asia would never forfeit the chance to appoint one of its own, and Vieira de Mello would be chosen a decade down the line 25 The “Responsibility to Protect” or "R2P” was a concept introduced in December 2001 by the independent Commission on State Sovereignty and Intervention, cochaired by Gareth Evans and Mahmoud Sahoun, and composed of former diplomats, politicians, and public intellectuals In September 2005, 150 countries in the General Assembly unanimously endorsed the new norm 26 The organization’s largest program (which later became the most notorious) was the Oil for Food Program In 1996 the Iraqi government, under severe sanctions, signed a deal with the UN Secretariat allowing Iraq to sell its oil to finance the purchase of food and medicine.All told, the program, which the UN monitored, was used to fund the delivery of some $31 billion worth of humanitarian supplies, while another $8.2 billion remained in the production and delivery pipeline 27 Iraq’s elections were held in January 2005, and the constitutional drafting committee was appointed by the elected parliament Their draft constitution entered into effect after it was approved by a majority in all but two of Iraq’s provinces 28 By coincidence, the person in charge of all of UN security, a sixty-year-old Burmese named Tun Myat, was named to the post after serving as humanitarian coordinator in Iraq from 2000 to 2002 Because of his perceived special knowledge of Iraq, those on the Steering Group who had never visited the country or the region almost never challenged him 29 By September 23, there would be forty-nine internationals in Baghdad and forty-seven in northern Iraq ... Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Power, Samantha Chasing the flame : Sergio Vieira de Mello and the fight to save the world / Samantha Power p cm Includes bibliographical references... from powerful capitals The one thing you have to remember,” he said, “is that the major powers will kick the UN.They’ll scream at the UN But at the end of the day they are getting the UN that they... in the hell—no, where in the hell—are the ‘safe areas’?” The countries on the Security Council had passed the resolution, he said, but they had never bothered to delineate the boundaries of the