The 15 members of the United Nations Security Council held their first straw poll last week for the seven candidates vying to succeed António Guterres as the next secretary-general. Bachelet cites ”rebuilding trust in the United Nations,” arguing that confidence in the institution has eroded precisely when cooperation is most needed. Whether any of this proves decisive is unknowable, because the decision ultimately belongs to a Security Council that casts its votes behind closed doors. Otunnu’s five discouragements indicate a Security Council that respects campaign transparency, discouraging a candidate who presented himself after the open debates. What the candidates think about the United Nations is now largely on the record.