Allan Thompson is Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and a former columnist with the Toronto Star. He is the editor of The Media and the Rwanda Genocide (Pluto, 2007).

Kofi A. Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving two terms from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2006, and was the first to emerge from the ranks of UN staff. In 2001 Kofi Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with the citation praising his leadership for "bringing new life to the organization."