PEACEMAKER : U Thant, The United Nations and The Untold Story of The 1960s
PEACEMAKER : U Thant, The United Nations and The Untold Story of The 1960s
Thant Myint U
- Hardcover : 382 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9353457513
- ISBN-13 : 978-9353457518
In the early 1960s, a peaceful world seemed possible. The still-young United Nations was regarded as humankind’s best hope for ending war. African and Asian nations, having recently won their freedom from colonial rule, sought influence on the world stage. At the helm of their international efforts was Secretary-General U Thant, a practising Buddhist and former schoolteacher from Burma.
In Peacemaker, acclaimed historian Thant Myint-U traces his grandfather’s integral yet forgotten roles in some of the twentieth century’s most critical crises: from battling white supremacist mercenaries in the Congo and mediating an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis to desperately trying to prevent the 1967 Six-Day War. Drawing on newly declassified documents, he traces U Thant’s tireless efforts to bring peace to Vietnam, create a fairer international economy, safeguard the environment and avoid a third world war.
A testament to the power of hope and individual action in times of uncertainty, Peacemaker is an extraordinary chronicle of a golden age of diplomacy, and vital to a fresh understanding of our world today.
In the early 1960s, a peaceful world seemed possible. The still-young United Nations was regarded as humankind’s best hope for ending war. African and Asian nations, having recently won their freedom from colonial rule, sought influence on the world stage. At the helm of their international efforts was Secretary-General U Thant, a practising Buddhist and former schoolteacher from Burma.
In Peacemaker, acclaimed historian Thant Myint-U traces his grandfather’s integral yet forgotten roles in some of the twentieth century’s most critical crises: from battling white supremacist mercenaries in the Congo and mediating an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis to desperately trying to prevent the 1967 Six-Day War. Drawing on newly declassified documents, he traces U Thant’s tireless efforts to bring peace to Vietnam, create a fairer international economy, safeguard the environment and avoid a third world war.
A testament to the power of hope and individual action in times of uncertainty, Peacemaker is an extraordinary chronicle of a golden age of diplomacy, and vital to a fresh understanding of our world today.
Author Bios:
Thant Myint-U is an award-winning historian, writer, conservationist and international public servant. An honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, he is the author of five books and a recipient of a Padma Shri from the Government of India.
Thant Myint-U is an award-winning historian, writer, conservationist and international public servant. An honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, he is the author of five books and a recipient of a Padma Shri from the Government of India.
