Early days -- The Reagan revolution and the Bush 41 thermidor -- Cutting Gulliver loose : protecting American sovereignty in good deals and bad -- Following the yellow cake road on North Korea -- Leaving the driving to the EU : negotiations uber alles with Iran -- Why do I want this job? -- Arriving at the UN : fear and loathing in New York -- Sisyphus in the twilight zone : fixing the broken institution, or trying to -- As good as it gets : the Security Council -- Electing the new secretary general : Ban Ki-Moon is coming to town -- Security Council successes on North Korea -- Iran in the Security Council : the EU-3 find new ways to give in -- Darfur and the weakness of UN peacekeeping in Africa -- Israel and Lebanon : surrender as a matter of high principle at the UN -- Recessional -- Free at last : back to the firing line.