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My father was a very accomplished chess master. and impactful career, what advice would you
As a child, in the 1940s, he studied in the same offer to the next generation of UN leaders and
youth chess school in Tbilisi as the former diplomats?
world chess champion Tigran Petrosian. They Offering advice is a thankless job. The problem
were friends and my father was the champion of the UN is not lack of advice, or of ideas, it
of that school two years after Petrosian, he is that most of these at some point throughout
was that good. He was also president of the the eight decades of its existence were either
Georgian Chess Federation twice, in the 1970s discarded, not adopted, or adopted and relegated
and again in the 1990s, and president of the to oblivion for a variety of reasons of political
USSR Chess Federation in the 1980s. My father expediency and national egoism.
always considered his abilities in chess as a
great boon in his diplomatic work. Incidentally, Instead of advice, I would like to express the hope
the legendary Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, that the member states of this Organization finally
Soviet Ambassador to six American Presidents, come around to realizing that this Organization is
with whom my father and I – at different times in everybody’s interests, it was not created to cater
– had the privilege of working, was also an to every selfish wish, but to create space where
excellent chess player. issues that were intractable outside, could be
discussed, negotiated and resolved jointly, for the
Diplomacy, in my view, is strategic and benefit of all, within the chambers that were tailor-
predictable in how well you prepare your own made for this purpose. The Organization came
position, how deeply you learn your opposite into being because back then, over eighty years
number’s position, strengths, weaknesses, but ago, a multilateral mindset existed that allowed
also where common ground lies, to be able the Organization to be created. That mindset
to work towards it. As one of my favorite past needs to be rekindled, but we cannot afford to do
bosses, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. it by the same means, those of a cataclysmic war,
Baker, III used to teach me, a set of negotiations because it could well be humanity’s last. There is
where one party out of many has nothing to a quote from Churchill that I like to cite. Almost
take back home, are failed negotiations. Therein eighty years ago, in a speech at the University
lie the greatest aspects of diplomacy, creativity, of Zurich, Winston Churchill illustrated the
improvisation, “audace” and the determination ultimate responsibility of states in reinforcing
to achieve mutually advantageous outcomes, multilateralism. He said: “The League did not fail
without bluster, subterfuge and dishonesty, because of its principles or conceptions. It failed
often passed off for diplomacy by the lesser because those principles were deserted by those
practitioners of the craft. states which brought it into being”. I understand
that by literary canons, it is not good form to start,
The United Nations will soon celebrate its 80th or finish with a quote, but maybe you can allow
anniversary. With the benefit of your long me this, given that it is Churchill.

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