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Mohamed ElBaradei

Historical Figure

Mohamed ElBaradei

b. 1942

Egyptian law scholar

Interwar & WWII

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Biography

Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei is an Egyptian lawyer and diplomat who served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997 to 2009, then as vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July to 14 August 2013.

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In Their Own Words (5)

Israel is the number one rogue state threat to Middle Eastern peace with its nuclear arms and acts of outright aggression towards its peaceful neighbours Syria and Lebanon – and genocidal actions against the marginalised Palestinians of the West Bank – and Gaza in particular.

Speaking to reporters, October 7, 2009. , 2009

You remember that book called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? … Well that's very much true. I find a lot in common in the way I manage things and the way she manages three-year olds. We humans are the same when we are three years old and when we are 50!

Comparing his work as an international diplomat to that of his wife, Aida Elkachef, a kindergarten teacher, with a mention of the book by Robert Fulghum. , 2003

I think the ultimate sense of security will be when we come to recognize that we are all part of one human race. Our primary allegiance is to the human race and not to one particular color or border. I think the sooner we renounce the sanctity of these many identities and try to identify ourselves with the human race the sooner we will get a better world and a safer world.

2003

The International Atomic Energy Agency and I are humbled, proud, delighted and above all strengthened in our resolve by this most worthy of honours.

2005

Consider also our approach to the sanctity and value of human life. In the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, we all grieved deeply, and expressed outrage at this heinous crime — and rightly so. But many people today are unaware that, as the result of civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 3.8 million people have lost their lives since 1998.Are we to conclude that our priorities are skewed, and our approaches uneven?

2005

Timeline

The story of Mohamed ElBaradei, told in moments.

1997 Event

Becomes Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Responsible for nuclear inspections worldwide. He sends teams into Iraq, Iran, North Korea. The job requires telling powerful governments things they don't want to hear.

2003 Life

Tells the UN Security Council that his inspectors have found no evidence of nuclear weapons in Iraq. The United States and Britain invade anyway. He's proven right. The weapons don't exist. Being right doesn't stop the war.

2005 Event

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside the IAEA. The committee cites his efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. The Bush administration had tried to block his reappointment as IAEA chief. They failed.

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