Second Global International Studies Conference

Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 23 - 26, 2008
organized by the WISC Network: http://www.wiscnetwork.org/

UNSA member panel: "Supranational Leadership and the UN Secretary-General"

The UN Secretary-General and Global Governance: Dimensions of Supranational Leadership

Supranational leadership i.e. leadership by international organizations and their leaders, such as the UN Secretary-General, has received increased attention as constructivist research and histories of ideas have become part of mainstream IR thinking. As a result of this new, organizational perspective, UN (and other international organizations) scholars increasingly draw on other subjects and disciplines to make sense of activity that is not captured by the traditional state-centric approach in which multilateral diplomacy and material power dominate. In this panel we will take stock of recent research on supranational leadership and aim to look ahead to outline the future of supranational leadership research.

Supranational Leadership and the UN Secretary-General: Challenges and Prospects

Kent Kille, College of Wooster

According to the United Nations Charter, the Secretary-General serves the member-states as the "chief administrative officer". However, the role played by the Secretary-General has also greatly extended across time in ways that asserts the independence of office and the United Nations beyond member-state control. The tension between these roles reflects the challenge faced by a state-centric view taken by many international relations scholars from theoretical approaches emphasizing the independent agency of international organizations and the supranational leadership provided through these organizations. This paper reflects on the potential leadership to be provided by the office-holder in global governance. The analysis provides implications for future research on the UN Secretary-General specifically and the place of supranational leadership in international studies more generally.

Instruments and Strategies of Supranational Leadership: The Political and Administrative Roles of the UN Secretary-General

Kirsten Haack, Open University

Research on supranational leadership has cast light on a number of aspects of the UN Secretary-General's practice and potential for influence, demonstrating several instances of leadership. While both roles - administrative and political - are acknowledged as potential opportunities for leadership, research has focussed on the political aspect, paying less attention to leadership exercised through administration. However, focussing on discourses and the role of ideas in shaping global governance shows that the political and administrative dimensions of the Secretary-General's role are equally 'political' i.e. prone to influence, as the Secretary-General defines ideas and with it member states' understanding through the development of UN practices. This paper analyses instruments for leadership outlined by the UN Charta and identifies strategies through which the UN Secretary-General exercises leadership. In doing so, this paper highlights the need for further development of constructivist approaches to define the future of supranational leadership research.

Working Towards an Integrative Framework to Assess the Efficacy of Supranational Leadership

Henrike Paepcke, UN Studies Working Group/Düsseldorf Institute for Foreign & Security Policy

The leadership qualities of UN Secretaries-General have been debated ever since. A growing literature concerns with the practical-political as well as the personal-anecdotal side of the office, whereas the theoretical and methodological foundations remain largely underexposed. In light of the goal to capture all facets of supranational leadership - including the organizational and psychological dimensions - this paper will address the question why and how supranational leadership matters by shedding light on the "impact" side. Assuming that the SG office(-holder) is mirror as well as catalyst of social change on the global level, the challenge is to create a theoretically sound framework to assess the efficacy of global leadership in real settings.

I will present an interdisciplinary, multidimensional model to analyze the different roles of the Secretary-General - ranging from the world's moral voice and independent protagonist in world politics to a mere instrument of major powers - as well as the interplay between these roles. Applying this model to exemplary decision-making on peace and security issues, this contribution will demonstrate the complexity to conceptualize supranational leadership and the resulting need for collaborative, interdisciplinary research.