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ID: 154714

A force for peace: expanding the role of the UN secretary-general under trygve lie, 1946–1953 / Ravndal, Ellen Jenny

Ravndal, Ellen Jenny	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

The UN Charter describes him or her merely as the “chief administrative officer of the organization,” yet today the Secretary-General is widely recognized as the UN's chief political representative. How did this transformation and expansion of the office from administrative to political take place? Existing scholarship tends to emphasize the contribution made by Dag Hammarskjöld. This article challenges that story on two accounts: first, by pointing out the importance of institutional factors and not just the officeholder's personality; and second, by examining the contribution made by Trygve Lie, the UN's first Secretary-General. The article establishes a conceptual framework based on institutional theory to understand the role of the Secretary-General and analyzes Lie's contribution in the period 1946–1953.

Key Words

International Organization ; Institutionalism ; Un Secretary-General ; Executive Heads ; Trygve Lie

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ID: 099059

Exit Britain: British withdrawal From the Palestine mandate in the early cold war, 1947-1948 / Ravndal, Ellen Jenny

Ravndal, Ellen Jenny	Journal Article
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2010.

Summary/Abstract

The British decision to withdraw from the Palestine mandate in 1947-1948 may at first glance appear contradictory to British strategic interests. The Middle East and Palestine were vital to Britain's Cold War strategy, and its government repeatedly stated the need for a continued British presence in the region to prevent Soviet expansion. Why then withdraw from Palestine just as the Cold War started? The traditional explanation is that Britain withdrew because of economic exhaustion and its inability to remain a great power. But this article shows that economic and strategic considerations both contributed to the decision to withdraw. Britain's involvement in Palestine threatened to undermine its relations with the independent Arab states, and the decision to withdraw from Palestine was therefore taken in the hope that this would secure Britain's position in the rest of the Middle East.

Key Words

Palestine ; Britain ; Early Cold War - 1947-1948 ; Arab States ; Cold War

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