Roland Rich’s important new book presents a bold new vision of global governance aimed at addressing the manifold crises of our times. Drawing on his years of experience as a diplomat and UN official, Rich elaborates an agenda of United Nations reform that is ambitious but potentially within our grasp.
— Robert Kaufman, Rutgers University, Distinguished Professor of Political Science
Roland Rich’s book provides a trenchant, no holds barred, assessment of the UN's strengths and weaknesses and makes far-reaching proposals for an organization to meet the world's future needs. It might make uncomfortable reading for those directing multilateral diplomacy, but it will provide inspiration for others, especially young people dreading the world’s current direction.
— Mike Smith, former Australian Ambassador and former Assistant Secretary General of the UN
The United Nations faces an existential crisis, arguably more acute than the most difficult times of the Cold War. Roland Rich's hard-hitting and thought-provoking insider's perspective confronts the key challenges the UN currently faces, and makes a case for how the organization can regain its relevance.
— Edward Newman, University of Leeds
At last, a jargon-free and lucid account of global governance and how to reimagine its future. Roland Rich draws on his extensive diplomatic career with the Australian foreign service, from multilateral conferences to the front lines of aid and development, and, from a decade at the helm of the UN Trust Fund to offer a wide-ranging tour-de-horizon. The chapters on health, governing globalization, the General Assemblies and Climate Change are particularly strong and Rich’s crisp, witty style demolishes one shibboleth after another while also offering common-sense ideas for change. The book has been a major addition to my classes on the UN and multilateralism at UC Berkeley and will hopefully nudge the genre of ‘how we get out of this mess’ in a thoughtful and creative way.
— Peter Bartu, University of California, Berkeley
In The United Nations as Leviathan: Global Governance in the Post-American World, Roland Rich presents a wide ranging and bold account of how current “systemic timidity” (238) in the United Nations (UN) could be addressed in order to tackle humanity’s greatest threats. Eschewing technical jargon, Rich writes an accessible and thoughtful account, supported by insightful examples and anecdotes from his own experiences... [Humanity’s] future requires a fresh look at how the world can be governed and Rich certainly offers an optimistic vision in The United Nations as Leviathan.
— H-Diplo Reviews