Annan Award

Probably no major public figure in the world was denigrated more frequently or perniciously than Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations. He left office earlier this year, in no small part due to the obstructionism and general ne'er-do-wellness of the United States (and John Bolton specifically).

So it's good to see that other countries and states are eager to recognize that Kofi did a huge amount of good work for the world at large. In Sweden, the Olof Palme Memorial Fund awarded Kofi their Palme Prize

in honour of his "courage" as leader of the UN.

"In the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld he has striven to make the UN live up to its full responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security," the award citation said.

In what may be interpreted as a dig at the United States, the fund said that Annan "defended the UN principles and international law when these were challenged by the mightiest authorities."

(I can't end this post without noting [again] that Annan is a sorta-Minnesotan, having graduated from my alma mater, Macalester College, in 1961.)