Gunnar Jarring
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Valfrid Jarring was a Swedish
diplomat
and Turkologist
.
Jarring was born in Brunnby, Höganäs Municipality
, Skåne County
(then part of Malmöhus County
), Sweden
. He earned a Ph.D.
from Lund University
in 1933 with his dissertation Studien zu einer osttürkischen Lautlehre ("Studies in Eastern-Turkic Sound Science"). He taught Turkic languages
at the university for the rest of the 1930s.
at their embassy in Ankara
in 1940. He later held diplomatic positions in Teheran, Baghdad
, and Addis Ababa
, and was appointed Swedish minister to India
in 1948, and then minister to Pakistan
. After several other diplomatic missions, he was Sweden's Permanent Representative the United Nations from 1956 to 1958, and sat in the Security Council
for the last two of those years. He was ambassador to the United States from 1958 to 1964, and to the Soviet Union
from 1964 to 1973. In that capacity he signed on behalf of his country on the Outer Space Treaty
in January 1967.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 242, Jarring was appointed by the UN Secretary-General U Thant
as a special envoy for the Middle East
peace process, the so-called Jarring Mission
. Jarring's methods of negotiation were used unsuccessfully until the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
Gunnar Jarring continued to publish studies on Eastern Turkic languages throughout his diplomatic career and after retirement. He is one of the few people to ever be mentioned by name in a United Nations Security Council Resolution, appeared in Resolution 331
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Turkologist
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
.
Jarring was born in Brunnby, Höganäs Municipality
Höganäs Municipality
Höganäs Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, in Skåne County in the southern part of the country. Its seat is located in the city of Höganäs....
, Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
(then part of Malmöhus County
Malmöhus County
Malmöhus County was a county of Sweden until 1997 when it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County.It had been named after Malmöhus, the castle in Malmö, which also was where the Governor originally resided....
), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in 1933 with his dissertation Studien zu einer osttürkischen Lautlehre ("Studies in Eastern-Turkic Sound Science"). He taught Turkic languages
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
at the university for the rest of the 1930s.
Diplomatic career
Jarring entered the Swedish diplomatic sercive and worked for the Swedish foreign service as attachéAttaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
at their embassy in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
in 1940. He later held diplomatic positions in Teheran, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, and was appointed Swedish minister to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1948, and then minister to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. After several other diplomatic missions, he was Sweden's Permanent Representative the United Nations from 1956 to 1958, and sat in the Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
for the last two of those years. He was ambassador to the United States from 1958 to 1964, and to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
from 1964 to 1973. In that capacity he signed on behalf of his country on the Outer Space Treaty
Outer Space Treaty
The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law...
in January 1967.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 242, Jarring was appointed by the UN Secretary-General U Thant
U Thant
U Thant was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971. He was chosen for the post when his predecessor, Dag Hammarskjöld, died in September 1961....
as a special envoy for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
peace process, the so-called Jarring Mission
Jarring Mission
The Jarring Mission refers to efforts undertaken by Gunnar Jarring to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors following the Six-Day War in 1967...
. Jarring's methods of negotiation were used unsuccessfully until the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
Gunnar Jarring continued to publish studies on Eastern Turkic languages throughout his diplomatic career and after retirement. He is one of the few people to ever be mentioned by name in a United Nations Security Council Resolution, appeared in Resolution 331
United Nations Security Council Resolution 331
United Nations Security Council Resolution 331, adopted on April 20, 1973, requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council detailing the efforts undertaken by the UN pertaining to the Middle East since June 1967 and decided to meet following the submission of the report to examine...
.
Books
- Gunnar Jarring. On The Distribution Of Turk Tribes In Afghanistan: An Attempt At A Preliminary Classification. LundLund-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
: Hakan Ohlsson, 1939.
Selected Articles
- Gunnar Jarring. Obituary: Nikolaj Aleksandrovic Baskakov. Turkic LanguagesTurkic languagesThe Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
1, 1997. - Gunnar Jarring. The toponym Takla-makan. Turkic LanguagesTurkic languagesThe Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
1, 1997.
Further reading
- The Jarring Mission - A Study of the UN Peace Effort in the Middle East, 1967-1971 Hulda Kjeang Mørk, University of Oslo, 2007.