Guyana’s UN Candidate Rodrigues “Rages Ignorantly” – Wall Street Journal

Guyana’s candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has come under scathing criticism from Wall Street Journal editorial board member Elliot Kaufman, who accuses her of “raging ignorantly” against Israel while praising former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Kaufman made the comments in an opinion article published in the Wall Street Journal on August 31, 2026, titled “They Forget Who Started the War.” His column comes as the race to succeed UN Secretary-General António Guterres intensifies, with Rodrigues-Birkett emerging as the leading candidate in the latest Security Council straw poll.

In the August 21 poll, Rodrigues-Birkett received eight “encourage” votes, placing her ahead of Costa Rican economist and UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan and Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, who each received seven. The poll is non-binding, however, and the eventual nominee must secure the support of the Security Council, including avoiding a veto from any of its five permanent members.