The race to succeed Mr. Kofi Annan as the next U.N. secretary general has begun. The job is one of the most high-profile in the world, and one of the most thankless. For all its prestige, the United Nations is a dumping ground for many of the world's most intractable concerns. The secretary general must have a thick skin to deal with the constant criticism, to serve an unruly mix of masters -- the member states to whom he (or she) answers -- and to manage a massive sprawling organization. It is a wonder anyone is willing to take up the assignment.

The secretary general serves a five-year term. Mr. Annan's term expires Dec. 31. According to the U.N. Charter, the individual is selected by the 191-member General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Typically, that process includes informal consultations among the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Britain, Russia and the United States), straw polls, private meetings and then the General Assembly vote. Needless to say, the process is opaque.

It is unclear what the job qualifications are. There is an informal rule that no P-5 citizen will serve as secretary general. If tradition is any indication, the next secretary general should come from Asia, as the job has rotated among the various regions. Yet there have been three secretary generals from Western Europe, two from Africa, one from Latin America, one from Asia, and none from Eastern Europe.