Kofi Annan's "new world compact".

Even when measured by the dismal standards that apply to UN bureaucrats, the career of Kofi Annan is remarkably cluttered with scandal and utterly barren of worthwhile achievements. As head of the UN's peacekeeping department 11 years ago, Annan played a role in facilitating the Rwandan genocide. On his watch as secretary-general, the Iraq "Oil-for-Food" scandal blossomed into what may be the largest case of fraud in history.

Yet Annan still regards himself as the world's moral tutor--a pose he strikes in his essay '"In Larger Freedom': Decision Time at the UN," in the May-June issue of Foreign Affairs. In the article, published by the flagship journal of the globalist Council on Foreign Relations, Annan described his plans to convene a September summit of world leaders "to strengthen our collective security, lay[??] down a truly global strategy for development [that is, foreign aid], advance the cause of human rights and democracy in all nations, and put in place new mechanisms to ensure that these commitments are translated into action."

Annan maintains that in dealing with terrorism, environmental issues, transnational organized crime, and similar threats, "we must make use of the unique normative strength, global reach, and convening power of the UN." Observing that actual and potential threats to world peace sometimes ...