(born 1922), Egyptian politician and scholar. Boutros Boutros-Ghali was born in Cairo in 1922 and graduated from Cairo University in 1946. He earned a Ph.D. in international law from Paris University in 1949 and was appointed professor of International Law and International Relations at Cairo University the same year, serving in that capacity until 1977. He became the president of the Centre of Political and Strategic Studies in 1975 and the president of the African Society of Political Studies in 1980. He served as the Egyptian minister of state for foreign affairs from 1977 to 1992. Boutros-Ghali was elected United Nations secretary-general in 1992 and served in that capacity until 1996. When Boutros-Ghali began his tenure as secretary-general in 1992 he said that he would serve only one term. In June 1996, however, he told United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher that he had decided to seek reelection. The Clinton Administration announced that the United States would oppose efforts by Boutros-Ghali to win reelection to a second term. American officials said that they opposed Boutros-Ghali's reelection because he had not done enough to reduce the United Nations bureaucracy and manage the organization more efficiently. Boutros-Ghali was supported largely by African nations, with Security Council members China, Russia, and France also believed to favor his reelection. With veto power over the 15-member Security Council decisions, the United States blocked Boutros-Ghali's reelection although the other 14 members of the Security Council had voted in favor of his reelection. |