The term of Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary general (SG) expires Dec. 31, 2006. Countries and individuals have begun to position themselves to succeed him. If Asians are to have a credible chance of filling what should rightfully be their turn at the job, their discussions and negotiations in the next six to 12 months could prove crucial. The world's top diplomatic job is not an entitlement to be claimed by a continent any more than by an individual, but a trust to be earned.

Trygve Lie, the first SG, famously described his job as "the most impossible in the world." It certainly seems impossible to fill to the satisfaction of all in an increasingly fractious community of states. The SG is required to be a politician, diplomat and international civil servant all rolled into one. Because of the nature of the responsibilities and burdens placed on his shoulders, the SG is bound to attract critical scrutiny and harsh judgment from one quarter or another.

The job is trapped in several paradoxes. The SG is elected to office as an individual, not as the representative of a government or a region, yet the regions demand "their" turn at the office. He must have the backing of almost all governments but owe no allegiance to any.