... You know, he was opposed to the Iraq War. He did turn the job down several times and was persuaded by Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair, George Bush, Kofi Annan that he was the only person who could do this job. I also think he did feel that the invasion had happened. The occupation was a reality. So maybe there was a chance to start a new beginning for the Iraqi people and construct a post-Saddam Iraq that would be grounded in human dignity and, you know, just a more normal life. But he was kind of pushed aside and not listened to. And he grew very frustrated and could see that the occupation was in danger of going off the rails.
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I've been thinking a lot these past weeks about what this story means in the midst of the pandemic or current global crisis, what Sergio would be doing if he were alive today and still with the U.N. He wasn't a scientist. He was not a doctor. But he knew how to get stuff done. And he would be trying to marshal an effective global response to this. So, you know, I think we're in this era of, like, retrenchment and looking inward. But when we're in a truly global world, you know, we need these kinds of people, these kinds of institutions that look at dire situations and find a way through it. I think of it as a story of love and hope amidst the darkness.