The impending appointment of a new United Nations secretary general provides an excellent opportunity to address some of the shortcomings in current processes - but the Security Council may not be totally on board.

While in the U.S. this week, Suu Kyi is being applauded as a Nobel Peace Laureate and champion of the oppressed, her authority, mostly moral and political, but non-military, remains fragile at best. Without dedicated U.S. support for years to come, Myanmar stands to crumble as a patchwork of diversity and revert once more to authoritarian rule.

By all accounts, Barack Obama wants to bequeath to his successor a new secretary-general strong enough to stand up to any rogue national leader.