It’s been a while since I’ve commented about a press photograph. But let me first set the scene. In a unanimous vote last week the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on the North Koreans because of their nuclear weapons program. It was a historic moment, beautifully captured by Mary Altaffer for the Associated Press. The image shows  Nikki R. Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, speaking to the Chinese ambassador, Liu Jieyi, just before the vote. The picture is unusual because it is very reminiscint of a candid photograph rather than a formal press shot. There is the pink dress, Amabassador Haley’s position, the expression on the two ambassadors faces, and the almost hands-touching posture. The photograph is brilliant in its spontaneity and the sense of detente that it conveys. It is something very unusual and well-crafted to my eye. So I am going to say, “Wow, now that’s a great photograph!”

When I was young I used to wonder why anyone would want Ambassador Haley’s position. The UN seems largely talk, talk, talk. I suspect the reality is deeper, and, of course, there is the matter of adding foreign policy experience to one’s resume.