Dag Hammarskjöld, 1953–1961

Dag Hammarskjöld’s term in office stands for an expansion of the UN’s activities for the maintenance of international peace and security. Despite the constraints of the Cold War, new tools for preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping were developed under his leadership. He also articulated a new doctrine for the world organization as well as the international civil service that built on various philosophical sources and central aspects of his personality. His interaction with the Security Council at the time was decisive in bringing about these innovations, but it also highlighted severe differences between the Secretary-General and leading member states. The Council that had given him unprecedented leeway in crisis situations became more and more disturbed by an all too active Secretary-General. The chapter traces the dynamics of the relationship between an active Secretary-General and an assertive, yet oftentimes divided Security Council in that crucial era.