Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi, two highly distinguished representatives of the United Nations, both resigned as the special envoy seeking to resolve the crisis in Syria. While this is a serious disappointment for the international community in general, it brings to the forefront not only the complexity of that particular conflict, but also reflects how the privilege of the veto exercised by permanent members of the Security Council can undermine its peace-making role.
The May 13 resignation of Brahimi, a seasoned diplomat and a renowned statesman, should encourage a serious reexamination of the role of the United Nations in bringing about reconciliation when civil wars are enabled to self-perpetuate with immense and disastrous loss of life, especially among civilian populations, generally and women and children.
