About book Chasing The Flame: Sergio Vieira De Mello And The Fight To Save The World (2008)
Chasing The Flame was one of the most depressing and tragic books I've ever read. Sergio Vieira de Mello dedicated his entire life to The United Nations, striving to improve the lives of millions of persecuted and impoverished people throughout the world. And Vieira de Mello didn't spend decades behind a desk in New York or Geneva like many other UN workers. He risked his life, time and time again, in some of the most war torn corners of the world. How many can say they gave personal hand to hand, man to man, right in the trenches, help to the people of Lebanon, Cambodia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo,Rwanda, East Timor, Iraq ... ? The book is depressing on many levels levels . Sergio had to fight tooth and nail for every accomplishment he was able to achieve in these countries. Firstly, of course, he had to deal with the sadistic despots who ruled these countries. But often, almost as frustrating; he had to deal with in-fighting within the U.N.. Not to mention the blatant incompetence of some of his fellow U.N. workers. Then of course, there was the lack of support from the most important and influential Member Countries when Vieira de Mello and the U.N. needed or requested it. Nowhere was this more evident than in Iraq. Remember of course, that the U.S.A. violated international law by waging war on Iraq without approval of the U.N. Security Council. Despite this, the U.N. did agree to enter Iraq and offer assistance to the "coalition" in an attempt to help rebuild a devastated Iraq. Vieira de Mello was chosen to head this U.N. mission and this final gut wrenching final chapter is when the book truly became tragic. After a terrorist bomb destroyed The Canal Hotel which The U.N. was using for their headquarters , Veira de Mello lay alive, but trapped and unreachable, for several torturous hours before succumbing to his injuries. I'll end my review with 2 quotes from the book :"As a result, while the U.S. military possessed state-of-the-art war-fighting equipment, from the time of the blasts at 4:28 p.m. to the time the rescue effort was terminated after dark, the most powerful military in the history of mankind was forced for rescue on brute force, a curtain rope, and a woman's handbag.""But as his life seeped slowly out of him, there must have been a moment--hopefully not a long one-- when he realized he was every bit as helpless in his time of need as millions of victims had been before him. He died under the Canal Hotel's rubble -- buried beneath the weight of the United Nations itself."
Sergio Vieira de Mello was undoubtedly an interesting person who drew a wide range of people (including Samantha Power) into his orbit over the years he worked for the UN in places like Kosovo, East Timor, and Iraq. I expected the book to embody more of the charisma and intelligence and warmth that the man must have had, to bring this larger-than-life figure right into the room with the reader. It mostly failed in that regard, feeling dry and academic, especially for the first half. It picks up considerably once he gets to East Timor, but still, perhaps because Power could not go to Vieira de Mello himself but had to rely on past interviews and the recollections of others, along with the usual documents, to research her story, it lacks his presence. Power also claims that Vieira de Mello's personal growth as a representative of the UN can serve as a blueprint for future diplomacy and crisis management. I'm not totally convinced. The big lessons are things like "Legitimacy matters," and "Security is the first priority," which are definitely lessons Sergio learned but it also seems like even as he learned them, his ability to apply them was severely hampered by the politics of the Security Council and the bureaucracy of the rest of the UN. Will the countries on the Security Council overcome their individual obsessions long enough to learn these lessons in future crises? I'm not holding my breath.Then, too, Vieira de Mello believed in engaging all parties, including terrorist leaders, warlords, and even the American government. Power understands that this often led him into morally compromised positions, or the appearance of such (which could be equally damaging), but claims that he learned this lesson, too, and became more outspoken throughout his career. He never got to finish his work in Iraq, so maybe we could have learned something there, but I don't see much guidance in his behavior as to how to engage the "bad guys" enough to keep them in the process and maybe make some improvements, while still knowing when and how to stand up to them, take sides, and even use force. I suppose there's no rulebook for this, but I think Power overstates her claim to have extracted principles from Vieira de Mello's career.I got into the book, for sure, as it gave a nice peek into life in the field for UN officials, but I never quite got what the purpose of the book was, as it didn't seem complete as either biography or analysis.
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Samatha Power's does a superb job taking us into the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello - a senior United Nations official killed in Iraq in 2003. It is also, in my view, a damning indictment of United Nations as an institution. You're left wondering what good the UN actually does? Undoubtedly, relieving the suffering of refugees in various war zones is actually achieved at times. But in terms of peacekeeping? The answer to that is simply to read of de Mello's work in Serbia, Cambodia, Lebanon, Afghanistan and, ultimately and tragically, Iraq. It is sad story and leavings you demanding answers.
—Frank Kelly
You will learn how to deal with people, if nothing else!I cannot say the story was inspiring, but it was a good read.Why?Not inspiring:I don't care how inspiring everyone says his life was... He was a mama's boy who treated women like objects: i.e.- his wife was worthy of typing his thesis but he could not be faithful to her? come on... enough said.Good read: Not dry at all compared to the other textbooks and journals I have been reading lately. But, if you have been reading purely fiction, you will most likely find it dry. Also, I heard Power's voice way, way too much in the book. It just bugged me. I wanted to hear more quotes and dialog that tied in to make a point, rather than Power's trying to fit a point around them. The book also bugs me because, yes, it is a misconception. There are heroes out on the streets, the man sitting next to you at the bus station, who knows what he has been through or done in his life and no one glorifies him. So much emphasis on the UN and politics, yet there is more to life than political propaganda. What about those in the science and technology fields, creating better lives for people, researching, trying to find cures, making others well, no one is glorifying them! That is when you have got to ask yourself, why? Why is this one "hero" being written about when there are so many out there?
—Doverdiatom
This book started a little slow for me, and I ended up putting it down for a few months. However, once I picked it back up and got deeper into the book, I couldn't put it down. The book follows the life of Sergio Viera de Mello, a Brazilian who spent his entire career working for the United Nations. His appointments in the UN, which focused on providing humanitarian relief to refugees and preserving human rights, took him to difficult/dangerous locations throughout the world, including Lebanon, Cambodia, Srebrenica, Kosovo, East Timor, and Iraq. Veira de Mello was killed in the first suicide bomb attack against the UN in Iraq in August 2003, about 5 weeks before he was to finish his assignment there. Not only is this book a biography, however, it also gives a fascinating look at the United Nations and clearly illustrates the incredible challenges that it faces as it tries to provide support and relief in politically and economically unstable places throughout the world. This book was a great follow up to the author's first book, The Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" (which, by the way, was an EXCELLENT book that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003), in describing the many challenges facing international organizations in dealing with many complex situations where humanitarian help is needed. Very thought provoking book.
—Spencer
