The best statesmen in today's world.

[Ariddia]

Jose Mujica of Uruguay.
He lives on $1250 a month and drives a Volkswagen Beetle. What a guy.
/hipster.

I agree. He's also a vegetarian; gives most of his salary to charity; lives in a simple home where he grows flowers with his wife and sells them on the local market; and opened up the presidential palace to the homeless. He lives by his principles.

Now there's a national leader worthy of respect.

It's a shame that so few people have heard of him.

[Arumdaum]

Xi Jinping*

I mean Xi Jingpeng wtf

[Battenburgia]

Jose Mujica of Uruguay.
He lives on $1250 a month and drives a Volkswagen Beetle. What a guy.
/hipster.

I agree. He's also a vegetarian; gives most of his salary to charity; lives in a simple home where he grows flowers with his wife and sells them on the local market; and opened up the presidential palace to the homeless. He lives by his principles.

Now there's a national leader worthy of respect.

It's a shame that so few people have heard of him.

oooh he gets my vote too

[Flaming Soul Forces]

José "Pepe" Mujica, President of Uruguay

(Image)

He declined to live in the Uruguayan presidential palace, continues to live with his wife and a three-legged dog named Manuela on his humble farm outside Montevideo where he grows chrysanthemums, donates 90% of his presidential salary to charity so that his income is in line with the average Uruguayan income, he drives an old VW Beetle and he spent 14 years in jail (partly under solitary confinement) under the military regime as in the 60s and 70s he was part of the Tupamaros guerrilla.

BBC News - José Mujica: The World's 'poorest' president

And you know Pepe is just a great guy:

Mujica's speech at the Rio+20 Earth Summit last year (with subtitles)

Sounds like my kind of president

[Calimera II]

Well,
The best statesmen in today 's world. I like quite a few.. the President of Uruguay, Panama, Germany for example are great.

[Angleter]

I think it'd be very difficult to get one past Putin. Likewise Netanyahu. I don't necessarily agree with either's foreign policy stances, but if I could choose who would bat for Britain on the world stage, I'd pick either of them - probably Putin.

[Rhodesi]

Well in terms of statesmanship, certainly Netanyahu and Putin. In terms of personal favour, those and Harper.

[Kemalist]

I would say Vladimir Putin without thinking but he's being so conservative and moralist lately. I will say Julia Gillard.

[Bolaly]

Not sure if this has been said, but anyone think Erdogan should be on the list?

[Ariddia]

I will say Julia Gillard.

You're a bit late for that. (If we're counting only people currently in power.) She lost the premiership a few weeks ago. Kevin Rudd is PM of Australia now.

[Frisivisia]

I will say Julia Gillard.

You're a bit late for that. (If we're counting only people currently in power.) She lost the premiership a few weeks ago. Kevin Rudd is PM of Australia now.

Couldn't help but imagine him as a combination of Kevin James and Paul Rudd.

[Hollorous]

Xi Jinping*

I mean Xi Jingpeng wtf

Too soon to tell with him.

[Australasia]

I would say Vladimir Putin without thinking but he's being so conservative and moralist lately. I will say Julia Gillard.

You're being too polite. Putin is a freaking tyrant, bigot, homophobe, and control-crazy lunatic!

[Australasia]

I will say Julia Gillard.

You're a bit late for that. (If we're counting only people currently in power.) She lost the premiership a few weeks ago. Kevin Rudd is PM of Australia now.

I like Kevin Rudd to a fair extent (Julia Gillard was also fairly likable). I've liked him even more ever since he expressed his support for marriage equality (regarding which Australia seriously needs to catch up with the rest of the developed democratic world!). I'm a bit displeased with certain right-wing policies (on carbon and asylum seekers) he has announced as a late, however.
Nonetheless, he is the person I would like to see as Prime Minister of Australia come next year (an election is due by the end of this year).

[Potenco]

I dont see Evo Morales here...

Seriously, who honestly thinks Netanyahu is a good leader? He is largely incompetent leader who has done nothing but exacerbated the situation in the Middle East

[Costa Alegria]

I dont see Evo Morales here...

That sack of crazy juice? He's only ever in the news whenever he's banned something or demanding that Chile give Bolivia its beach back.

Seriously, who honestly thinks Netanyahu is a good leader? He is largely incompetent leader who has done nothing but exacerbated the situation in the Middle East

By doing what exactly?

[Costa Alegria]

Like any informed intellectual, ...

Not even an "other" option? I thought an informed intellectual would have known there's more than 10 countries in the world.

And informed intellectual wouldn't have said Putin "because of teh gloryz".

[Agritum]

The Prince of Sealand.

[Luziyca]

Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Angela Merkel, in my opinion.

[Temujinn]

Like any informed intellectual, I read the news quite often. In the headlines there are multiple political personalities whose names appear time and time again. Whether it be Obama, Putin or somebody else I am curious who NS thinks is the smartest, most ambitious and hands-down most competent political or social leader in today's world. I have provided a poll with some ideas though feel free to post others.

I will confess a lack of in depth information on any of these to even formulate an opinion on who is the best statesman. I know Obama better than any of the others, so I will give my defacto vote for him, but I am honestly skeptical that is correct.

[Temujinn]

Jose Mujica of Uruguay.
He lives on $1250 a month and drives a Volkswagen Beetle. What a guy.
/hipster.

I agree. He's also a vegetarian; gives most of his salary to charity; lives in a simple home where he grows flowers with his wife and sells them on the local market; and opened up the presidential palace to the homeless. He lives by his principles.

Now there's a national leader worthy of respect.

It's a shame that so few people have heard of him.

All admirable, but what about hose things makes him a good statesman?

[Lunaka]

I agree. He's also a vegetarian; gives most of his salary to charity; lives in a simple home where he grows flowers with his wife and sells them on the local market; and opened up the presidential palace to the homeless. He lives by his principles.

Now there's a national leader worthy of respect.

It's a shame that so few people have heard of him.

All admirable, but what about hose things makes him a good statesman?

Well, he realizes that to represent the people, he must live with the people. He donates about 90% of his $12,000 salary to charity, very close to the average Uruguayan salary of $775 a month.

[Hetalian Indie Rio de Janeiro]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=208045&hilit=Should+the+US+annex+Canada

HAHAHAHAHA

Thinking that the USA and Canada should merge does not make the Canadian government illegitimate. I think the EU countries should unify into one country, that doesn't make their current government illegitimate.

Do you realize we would lose power at the UN had this to happen, right?

Creating various Western small nation states in the current countries that are geopolitically less relevant is the way to go!

[Arumdaum]

Xi Jinping*

I mean Xi Jingpeng wtf

Too soon to tell with him.

Agreed.

But who's Xi Jingpeng? Ugh, I feel like he just put in some stereotypical Chinese-sounding name since he couldn't help remembering it.

[Geilinor]

None of them. I would have checked Obama, but he hasn't done much recently.