Today there is little discussion of the United Nations, and in many foreign policy circles a sincere interest in it is a mark of naivety. But Brian Urquhart gave his life to it, becoming one of its most eminent officials and best critics.
In an age which exalted selfishness, Urquhart lived by an ethic of service, and was well accustomed to danger. In a time of technocratic expertise, he embodied practical wisdom. As language fell into decadence, he wrote with restraint.
At the UN, where the usual approach is to do the bidding of governments or to retreat into passive neutrality, Urquhart, together with Dag Hammarskjöld and Ralph Bunche, established the idea of the impartial international public servant.
Urquhart represented the best of the Atlantic age.
