At the U.N., a Firebrand Increasingly in the Mainstream

In d'Escoto's first weeks in office, many delegates viewed him as a political relic who was out of his depth. But Keating said that while d'Escoto often "makes blunders," he has acquired respect as a man with deep convictions. The financial crisis, he said, has also boosted d'Escoto's standing.

D'Escoto represents a Latin American left that, while buoyed by the rise of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, has dissipated from the region's new progressive politics, symbolized by such leaders as Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chile's Michelle Bachelet. "On one level, he's a very sweet man who is well intentioned. On the other hand, he's a guy who lives in the '70s," said one Latin American diplomat who has known d'Escoto's for decades. He still see the world as a "continuous confrontation with the United States," the diplomat added.

According to U.N. tradition, key appointments are divided into regional rotations that often produce controversial results. The United States privately urged some Latin American countries to compete against the Nicaraguan candidate, but they ultimately decided not to mount an active campaign against d'Escoto because it was Nicaragua's turn. D'Escoto's appointment to the high-level post alarmed advisers of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, an unapologetically pro-American diplomat who feared d'Escoto could undercut Ban's efforts to patch up relations with the United States.

But U.S. sensitivities are not the only problem. This month, d'Escoto triggered a diplomatic uprising from other U.N. members after he waded into the debate over enlarging the Security Council.

In an effort to spur progress on an initiative to enlarge the 15-member council, d'Escoto scheduled a Nov. 21 meeting to begin negotiations. The decision drew harsh reactions from such states as Argentina, Italy and Pakistan, which have resisted council expansion because new seats could go to key regional rivals.

When d'Escoto canceled the meeting, he received an equally tough response from another group of countries -- including Brazil, Japan, Germany and India -- that favored early negotiations to advance their own quests for council seats.

"He was wholly unprepared for the job," said an influential U.N. ambassador who was involved in the talks. "He didn't do his homework."