Items14The creator’s order
  1. 1José Figueres FerrerJosé Figueres FerrerBorn 25 Sept 1906After winning Costa Rica's 1948 civil war, Figueres abolished the army, written into the 1949 constitution, and spent the savings on schools and health. The decision gave the country a lasting diplomatic identity as a disarmed democracy, though it relied on regional security arrangements and the US.0i
  2. 2Frank AikenFrank AikenBorn 13 Feb 1898As Ireland's foreign minister, Aiken tabled UN resolutions from 1958 to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, the "Irish resolution" of 1961 that led to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ireland was the first state to sign it in 1968, a clear case of a small neutral country setting a global agenda.0i
  3. 3Urho KekkonenUrho KekkonenBorn 3 Sept 1900Finland's president from 1956 to 1982 kept independence next to the Soviet Union through neutrality and personal diplomacy with Moscow, and hosted the 1975 Helsinki conference whose Final Act gave dissidents a human rights text to cite. "Finlandisation" is also the criticism: self-censorship and…0i
  4. 4Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan YewBorn 16 Sept 1923Singapore's first prime minister helped found ASEAN in 1967 and became a counsellor sought by US and Chinese leaders, giving a city-state a voice in great-power diplomacy. At home he governed with detention without trial, defamation suits against opponents and tight press controls.0i
  5. 5Seretse KhamaSeretse KhamaBorn 1 Jul 1921Botswana's first president, governing a country economically tied to apartheid South Africa, helped form the Frontline States and in 1980 the Southern African Development Coordination Conference to reduce that dependence. He refused to host guerrilla bases yet gave refuge to exiles, a careful…0i
  6. 6Bruno KreiskyBruno KreiskyAustria's chancellor from 1970 to 1983 made Vienna a UN seat and an East-West meeting place, and was among the first Western leaders to receive Yasser Arafat, in 1979, arguing for talks with the PLO. Critics faulted his attacks on Simon Wiesenthal and his early reliance on the Freedom Party led by…0i
  7. 7Olof PalmeOlof PalmeBorn 30 Jan 1927Sweden's prime minister condemned the US bombing of Hanoi in 1972, backed anti-apartheid movements and chaired the Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues, whose 1982 report popularised "common security". His assassination in 1986 remains a national trauma; the investigation was…0i
  8. 8Qaboos bin SaidQaboos bin SaidBorn 18 Nov 1940Oman's sultan kept relations with Iran and Israel when Gulf neighbours would not, and hosted the secret US-Iran talks from 2012 that led to the 2015 nuclear deal. His quiet mediation came from an absolute monarchy with no elected government and limited free expression.0i
  9. 9Gro Harlem BrundtlandGro Harlem BrundtlandBorn 20 Apr 1939While Norway's prime minister, Brundtland chaired the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, whose 1987 report Our Common Future defined "sustainable development" for a generation. Her governments also backed the 1993 Oslo channel between Israel and the PLO; she later led the World…0i
  10. 10Óscar AriasÓscar AriasBorn 13 Sept 1940Costa Rica's president wrote the 1987 Esquipulas II peace plan for Central America against Reagan administration objections and won the Nobel Peace Prize. In his second term he campaigned for the UN Arms Trade Treaty, adopted in 2013, extending Figueres's disarmed-state diplomacy.0i