World Leaders

Stephen Harper

noreply@blogger.com (ZU) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has worked through the right-leaning parties in Canada, and as Leader of the Canadian Alliance Party oversaw its merger with the Progressive Conservatives to form the new Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. By nature more comfortable with policy than as a political glad-hander, Stephen Harper has slowly become more at ease in leadership. He ran a meticulous campaign in the 2006 federal election, and led the Conservatives to a minority government. In the 2008 election he increased the size of that minority.

Prime Minister of Canada:
2006 to present

Birth:
April 30, 1959 in Toronto, Ontario

Education:
* BA - University of Calgary 1985
* MA - University of Calgary 1991

Profession:
* Economist
* President, National Citizens Coalition 1998

Political Party:
Conservative Party of Canada

Federal Ridings:
* Calgary West (1993 to 1997 - Reform Party)
* Calgary Southwest (2002-04 - Canadian Alliance Party; 2004 to present - Conservative Party of Canada)

Political Career of Stephen Harper:
* Stephen Harper began his political career as Executive Assistant to Jim Hawkes, Progressive Conservative MP for Calgary West in 1981.
* He became Chief Policy Officer for the Reform Party in 1987.
* He became Legislative Assistant to Deborah Gray, the Reform Party's first MP in 1988.
* Stephen Harper was first elected to the House of Commons as the Reform MP for Calgary West in 1993.
* He served as the Reform Party critic for finance and national unity.
* Stephen Harper did not seek re-election in 1997.
* In March 2002, Stephen Harper was elected Leader of the Canadian Alliance Party.
* He was elected to the House of Commons in Calgary Southwest in May 2002.
* After on-and-off negotiations, Stephen Harper signed an agreement with Peter MacKay of the Progressive Conservative Party to merge the Canadian Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party into the Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003.
* Stephen Harper stepped down as the Leader of the Canadian Alliance to run for the leadership of the new Conservative Party of Canada in January 2004.
* Stephen Harper was elected Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in March 2004.
* In the 2006 general election Stephen Harper led the Conservative Party to victory with a minority government.
* Stephen Harper was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada on February 6, 2006.

Who Is The Real Stephen Harper?

Anyone attempting to get a read on Canada's PM, Stephen Harper, will quickly realize that this is a man who is far from transparent. Some have argued that his dominant trait is a Machiavellian willingness to play the political game in order to maximize his winning potential.

The inconsistencies between Harper's declared political standards and his behavior in parliament were clearly demonstrated this week. His attack on the Liberals for their position on anti-terrorism measures due to expire this month, took the form of a smear directed against the family of backbench MP Navdeep Bains.

The PM made the accusation that the Liberal opposition to the anti-terrorism measures was driven by their desire to prevent further investigation of Bains's father-in-in-law, Darshan Singh Saini, who is a potential witness in the RCMP's probe of the 1985 Air India bombing. MP Bains asked twice for a retraction, characterizing Harper's remarks as an "attack on my integrity and the integrity of my family". Harper twice refused to comply.

Personalizing the debate about anti-terrorism measures in this fashion is unbecoming in a national leader. The title of the Toronto Star editorial for February 23 2007 is "How much lower will Harper go?". That pretty much describes the reaction of quite a number of Canadian pundits to his tactics on this issue.

It is important to recall that this is a Prime Minister who came to office as a reformer guaranteeing a new era of political civility. In targeting the Bains' family in this fashion, he is employing tactics that are anything but civil. In its editorial, the Toronto Star characterized his approach as "the equivalent of of a hockey goon, trying to beat the Liberals by throwing a vicious sucker punch ...".

This is also the PM who has given the green light to some of the most negative attack ads we have seen in Canada. One French language ad insultingly characterized Stephane Dion, the Liberal leader, as "vendu" or "sellout".

The contradictions between Harper's declared principles and his actions, are borne out by his flip flops on policy. His political positions appear to be driven by expediency and a ruthless win-at-all-costs agenda.

He recently declared Quebec to be "a nation within Canada", arguably a form of "special status", something he is on record opposing. In 2004 he endorsed official bilingualism. Yet this is the same politician who was well known for scoffing at the very notion of bilingualism. In the Calgary Sun in 2001 he is quoted as saying "As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed".

On the issue of human rights we find the same contradictions and the willingness to alter political positions in order to court approval. He is on record calling for an end to Human Rights Commissions. In the past he referred to them as - "an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society". He even characterized them as a form of "totalitarianism". Despite these sweeping condemnations, we have seen Harper recently position himself as a human rights champion in his relationship with China. The obvious inconsistency between these two positions can be explained by his former opposition to the cozy business connections former Liberal PM Paul Martin enjoyed with the Chinese. So once again the motivations seem less high minded than an exercise in political oneupmanship.

On the environment his positions have also morphed so as to accrue political capital, given the increasing number of voters who are are now concerned about climate change. Harper has moved ninety degrees from characterizations of Kyoto as a "boondoggle" and "a socialist scheme". Nowadays we find an entirely new tune. Despite his former attacks on the Liberal's environmental position, he announced a green energy program in January 2007 - one which is basically a new version of the Liberal program which the Conservatives canceled. It's difficult to overlook the fact that this is the same PM who shortly after his his election win, quietly canceled 15 federal programs that were designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The champion of the "new" federalism, eager to court the Quebec vote, is the same man who sounded like a Western separatist when he called for a "firewall to be built around Alberta". He even went so far as to propose replacing the RCMP with provincial police.

Despite assuming positions on human rights and the environment that play to progressive credentials, there is little progressive in his views on gay marriage. At one point he threatened to use the Notwithstanding Clause to overturn the Supreme Court's definition of marriage. He is also on record as stating that it is "vile" to make any comparison between civil rights and gay rights.

On health care the flip flop is virtually a cartwheel plus a back somersault. Harper has a history of hectoring the federal government to get out of the health care business. In 2001 he joined in a letter writing campaign to petition premier Ralph Klein of Alberta to drop out of federal health care altogether. When Klein proposed Alberta initiatives in 2004 that directly contravened the Health Act provisions, Harper refused to stand up for the federal program. Yet these days he is lauding it as invaluable, even saying that his family has long been dependent upon it.

It's precisely this type of reversal that generates cynicism in Canadians who have been following Harper's path to the PM's office. When his position changed as a consequence of being in power, so too the positions that got him elected began to change. In some ways it appears he is attempting to neutralize the Liberals by taking over some of their causes. In any other politician this might be viewed as typical posturing and simply confirm the cynicism a lot of people have about politicians in general. But in Harper's case a long history of crusading for right wing causes distinguished his course. That was what defined him as a politician. So this sudden readiness to discard or minimize causes that he presented as matters of high principle, is a problem for many who see his moves as a cynical attempt to retain power at all costs.

On the basis of these and other inconsistencies, many Canadians rightly wonder what Harper really stands for.

Article Source:EzineArticles.com

Wen Jiabao

noreply@blogger.com (ZU) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:15:00 +0000

Wen Jiabao, who as China's Premier is charged with overseeing the country's economic reforms, has a reputation as a strong administrator and technocrat.

Once seen as self-effacing and even uncharismatic, Mr Wen's fortunes have since risen quickly.

During a political career stretching back to 1965, Mr Wen has built a network of patrons.

He has served three Party leaders - from Hu Yaobang to Zhao Ziyang to Jiang Zemin.

During that time he has earned a reputation for meticulousness and a focus on tangible results.

The former Swiss ambassador to China once said that my brain is like a computer. Indeed, many statistics are stored in my brain.
Wen Jiabao, March 18 2003

Former Premier Zhu Rongji showed his esteem by entrusting Mr Wen, from 1998, with the task of overseeing agriculture, finance and environment policies.

These were considered crucial as China prepared to enter the World Trade Organisation.

This experience should prove important as Beijing pushes to revitalise the rural economy.

Mr Wen began his career in the Gansu geology bureau, having studied geomechanics in Beijing.

The Party was at that time conducting a talent search, and Mr Wen was duly promoted to serve as deputy in the Party's Central Office, where he remained for eight years.

Political 'survivor'

Things have not always been easy for Wen Jiabao, however, but he has always managed to bounce back.

Perhaps his most significant recovery was after 1989, when Mr Wen accompanied then-Party Secretary Zhao Ziyang to Tiananmen Square to visit the students on hunger strike.

Mr Zhao was purged from the party days later and has lived under house arrest in Beijing ever since.

Mr Wen, on the other hand, weathered the storm.

Although he can appear a quiet and unassuming man, he is said to be a good communicator and a "man of the people".

At the end of the NPC in March 2003, he was keen to emphasise that he was a man of conviction.

"It is generally believed that I am mild-tempered," he said.

"But at the same time, I have deep convictions and my own judgement of things, and I am not afraid of shouldering responsibility."

Mr Wen also promised that he was well-equipped to preside over China's vast bureaucracy.

"The former Swiss ambassador to China once said that my brain is like a computer," he said. "Indeed, many statistics are stored in my brain."

His more subtle style may prove less attractive to the international community than the straight talking of outgoing Premier Zhu Rongji, but his consensual management skills should prevent him from making too many enemies in Beijing.

Nicolas Sarkozy Biography

noreply@blogger.com (ZU) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:53:00 +0000

Nicolas Sarkozy was born in Paris 52 years ago, of a French mother and a father who chose to immigrate to France when his country, Hungary, was invaded by the communist Soviet Union. He grew up in Paris, then in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, where he still lives. His family taught him the values of Gaullism: love of France and the refusal of defeat.

After graduating in Law and Political Science, he became a lawyer at the age of 26. For more than twenty years, he practised Law, and during that period became more and more involved in political activities. All this gave him the opportunity to develop many contacts with French society.

He has been a Gaullist since childhood, and it is in the Gaullist Party that he has always pursued his political career. He was still a young party militant when he was elected town councillor in Neuilly, in 1977. Six years later, he was elected Mayor, and kept being reelected to this post for 19 years. He was also elected Regional councillor for Ile-de-France, and Member of the National Assembly and of the European Parliament. Since 2004, he has served as President of the council of the Départment des Hauts-de-Seine.

Sarkozy entered the Government for the first time in 1993, as Minister for the Budget and Spokesman of the Prime Minister, Edouard Balladur. After Jacques Chirac’s victory in the Presidential election in 2002, he returned to the Government first as Minister of the Interior, then Finance Minister in 2004. In these two posts, he endeavoured to show that, with determination, that which seemed out of reach, was in fact possible. He increased police presence on the streets of France, thus reducing delinquency. He saved Alstom, a then ailing French conglomerate, from bankruptcy, helped EDF and GDF to privatise part of their capital, and forced big retailers to lower consumer prices.

When the UMP Party militants elected him to the head of the party in November 2004, he left the Government. He returned in May of 2005, at President Jacques Chirac’s request, as Secretary of State for the Interior and Regional Planning .

He has been married twice, and has three sons. Pierre and Jean will vote for the first time this year in the Presidential and Legislative elections. Their support, along with that of his wife and their young son Louis, will be most precious to him in the months to come.

Vladimir Putin Biography

noreply@blogger.com (ZU) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:50:00 +0000

* Born: 7 October 1952
* Birthplace: Leningrad, Russia (now St. Petersburg)
* Best Known As: President of the Russian Federation, 2000-2008

Vladimir Putin was elected president of the Russian Federation in 2000 as the hand-picked successor of Boris Yeltsin. After earning a law degree in 1975, Putin joined the KGB, the security force of the former Soviet Union. He spent years working primarily in East Germany, then left the service in 1991 and became active in the politics of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). He was brought to Moscow by Yeltsin in 1996 and served as an administrator in the Kremlin and an official for the security organizations which replaced the KGB. In 1999 Putin became Yeltsin's fifth prime minister in 17 months, then became acting president when Yeltsin left office. He was officially elected to the office in 2000 and then re-elected in a landslide vote in March of 2004. As president he gained a reputation as a clever and ruthless political operator with a hunger for Russian power and not too much concern for the niceties of democracy or diplomacy. He stepped down in 2008 (as required by term limits) and was replaced by his own hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev then installed Putin as prime minister, a move which left Putin, as The New York Times put it, as "the country's dominant politician, with a firm grip on power."

Putin married the former Lyudmila Shkrebneva in 1983. They have two daughters: Maria (b. 1985) and Yekaterina (b. 1986, also known as Katerina or Katya).

Barack Obama Biography

noreply@blogger.com (ZU) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in Nyanza Province, Kenya. He grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British. Although reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became an atheist at some point.

Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up for service in World War II and marched across Europe in Patton's army. Dunham's mother went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved to Hawaii.

Meantime, Barack's father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya pursue his dreams in Hawaii. At the time of his birth, Obama's parents were students at the East–West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. Obama's father went to Harvard to pursue Ph.D. studies and then returned to Kenya.

His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East–West Center student from Indonesia. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where Obama's half-sister Maya Soetoro Ng was born. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language.

Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as "Barry") was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died of ovarian cancer in 1995).

He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was only one of three black students at the school. This is where Obama first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an African-American.

In his memoir, Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He saw his biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. And he admitted using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.

After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science.

After working at Business International Corporation (a company that provided international business information to corporate clients) and NYPIRG, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in Chicago's Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the city's South Side.

It was during this time that Obama, who said he "was not raised in a religious household," joined the Trinity United Church of Christ. He also visited relatives in Kenya, which included an emotional visit to the graves of his father and paternal grandfather.