# Who is the Best World Leader? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 18, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076 "2004-03-18T20:10:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/41 "2004-03-22T05:09:16Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > By the way, I’m amazed that so many people are voting for the rulers of small arabic emirates… \Oman is a sultanate, not an emirate\ Look, leaders who move from autocracy toward democracy generally DO NOT LAST VERY LONG afterward. Take Gorbachev, for example; gave an inch, and they took a mile. In a “powder keg” situation like the one currently existing in the ME, there is something to be said for a gradual and orderly shift in power rather than a revolution. Besides, Qaboos single-handedly led a country through 1200 years of economic development in about 14 _real_ years. He didn’t (and doesn’t) even have _that_ much oil to do it with. He’s also led the Gulf states in the move to more diversified economies, and Oman has become the industrial powerhouse (such things are, of course, relative) of the Arabian Peninsula. ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/42 "2004-03-23T08:26:55Z")
1. The leader of Israel 2. George Bush ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/43 "2004-03-23T08:31:52Z")
> [@MadSam](#): > > 1. The leader of Israel Yea, that leader is a great person. He/she has done great things, like that one time. People just don’t understand his/her beliefs. Leadership that has been done in that one country over there has been superb, and worthy of note, especially that other year when that stuff happened. O\_o ---
**Author:** ![Strutur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Strutur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strutur)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/44 "2004-03-23T12:29:02Z")
I’d like to nominate pres. Museveni of Uganda. He has led the way in combating AID’s in a country here talking about sex was a taboo and already had a very high infection-rate. He’s been making life better for most Ugandans while fighting two rebel factions, both of whom he’s been appeasing for some time now. Milan Kucan of Slovenia also deserves special mention for turning his country into a western democracy. Yougoslavia was’nt to bad though to begin with though. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/45 "2004-03-23T14:29:24Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > I’d like to know what head of state is actually making the world a better place… > [@](#): > > …and has earned respect within his own country and around the world. Why are these two things tied together in the OP? They aren’t the same thing. In fact, I would think in many cases they are mutually exclusive. Bill Clinton focused his administration on gaining approval ratings. Because of this he was very well liked both at home and abroad. He was very successful at “earning respect”. However, I don’t think he actually did much to make the world a better place. In order to do that, he would actually have had to cash in some of his popularity to accomplish things. He wasn’t willing. ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/46 "2004-03-24T23:35:58Z")
Looks like there is a tie between the leader of Oman and Qatar. Qatar is doing right now, what Oman was doing since long ago. Also, I may point out, both there countries have excellent religious freedoms. There is a Church in Qatar, and rumors are that a Hindu temple will be built here in a few years. Oman has had both for quite some time. Given that these nations are Islamic states, they dont just pay lip service to ‘freedom of religion’. Also, I wonder, if Pakistani Prez Parvez Musharraf can be considered. Agreed that he is usurped power, granted himself huge amounts of power, has been a close confidant of the Taliban, but he did manage to drag Pakistan out of the pariah state status that it had after the nuclear tests. Not only that, he has managed to get a “Important Non-NATO Ally” status for Pakistan, a $ 1 bn loan written off, and assured of $3 bn in the next five years, inspite of all the nuclear proliferation accusations, the support to Al Qaeda and Taliban. He may not have done much for his countrymen, but the decisions that he made will be beneficial for Pakistan in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/47 "2004-11-12T05:07:32Z")
I’m bumping this thread because I wanted to see how much has changed in the 8-odd months it’s been dormant. Apologies, mods, but I was going to start essentially the same one and then remembered it already existed. My vote is still for Qaboos. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/48 "2004-11-12T16:34:24Z")
A true leader is someone who can accomplish something without a lot of fanfare. Hat’s off to the leader of Palau, whoever that is. Not only is the country part of the “Coalition of the Willing”, it remains part of the “Coalition of the Invisible.” (I still can’t find it on the my map.) ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/49 "2004-11-12T22:31:11Z")
I’m amazed I didn’t mention them earlier: [Chiang Ching-Kuo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Ching-kuo),[Lee Teng-Hui](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui) and [Chen Shui-Bian.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Shui-bian) Handed a dictatorship, Chiang legalized opposition parties and appointed a Taiwanese successor. Handed an autocracy, Lee made it into a democracy and offered himself up for election. He then brought down the richest political party in the world from the inside. Chen is a human rights activist who ascended to the presidency and was just reelected. If I gotta pick one, it’s Lee. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/50 "2004-11-13T06:22:44Z")
Jesus? ---
**Author:** ![Blackacre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@Blackacre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackacre)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076/51 "2004-11-13T07:06:01Z")
George W. Bush. Fuck whoever has “earned respect within his own country and around the world,” christ, Arafat won the Nobel Peace prize. =D Cheers! BA [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-world-leader/235076.md?page=2)