Mohamed ElBaradei محمد البرادعي
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office  December 1, 1997
Preceded by	Hans Blix
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	June 17, 1942 (1942-06-17) (age 64) Egypt

Mohamed ElBaradei (Arabic: محمد البرادعي) (born June 17, 1942) is an Egyptian diplomat and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an inter-governmental organization under the auspices of the United Nations. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 433 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1535 × 2126 pixel, file size: 2. ... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...   (born 28 June 1928 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish diplomat and politician. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ...

Early career

ElBaradei earned a Bachelor's degree in law from the University of Cairo in 1962, followed by a Doctorate in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974. His diplomatic career began in 1964 in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign affairs, where he served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and in Geneva, in charge of political, legal, and arms control issues. From 1974 to 1978 he was a special assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister. In 1980, he became a senior fellow in charge of the international law program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. From 1981 to 1987 he was also an Adjunct Professor of International Law at New York University School of Law. Cairo University is an institute of higher education located in Giza, Egypt. ... Vanderbilt Courtyard The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University. ... Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra //, Romansh: Genevra) is the second most populous city in Italy (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ...

In 1984, ElBaradei became a senior staff member of the IAEA Secretariat, serving as the agency's legal adviser (1984 to 1993) and Assistant Director General for External Relations (1993 to 1997).

ElBaradei is also a member of the International Law Association and the American Society of International Law. He is married to Aida Elkachef, a kindergarten teacher at Vienna International School, and has two children, Laila and Mostafa. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Vienna International School is a non-profit international school made up structurally of the parents of each student at the school, and located in Vienna, Austria. ...

Controversy

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on January 10, 2003. [1]

ElBaradei began serving as the Director General for the IAEA on December 1, 1997, and is now well into his third 4-year term. However, a good deal of controversy surrounded his election to a third term, which was opposed primarily by the current U.S. administration. The stated reason for the U.S. opposition was that it supported a limit of two terms for all heads of international organizations; however, it was widely reported that the U.S. opposition was motivated by other reasons. ElBaradei had strongly questioned the U.S. rationale for the war in Iraq from the time of the 2003 Iraq disarmament crisis, when he, along with Hans Blix, led a team of UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, seeking evidence that Saddam Hussein had revived his efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. ElBaradei and his team of inspectors had debunked allegations that Saddam Hussein's regime had sought to purchase aluminum tubes for uranium centrifuges; ElBaradei had also revealed to the UN Security Council that supposed sales of uranium from Niger to Iraq, which had been touted by the U.S. Administration as a key piece of evidence of Iraq's nuclear weapons ambitions (and were linked to the CIA leak scandal that became known as the Valerie Plame Affair), were based on forged documents. According to the Washington Post, [2] several intercepts were made on ElBaradei's phone calls concerning Iran's nuclear program in which the Bush administration hoped to find information that would help to remove ElBaradei as director of the IAEA. However, despite months of extensive behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts, the U.S. was not able to identify a sufficient number of other countries willing to support ElBaradei's ouster. In addition, no rival candidate could be found willing to compete against ElBaradei for Director General, although the U.S. tried to convince Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to run for the job (he declined). The decision of the IAEA board of governors was postponed through May 2005. [3]. On 9 June, after a meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and ElBaradei, the U.S. dropped its objections, and ElBaradei was unanimously re-appointed by the the IAEA Board on 13 June. [4] Image File history File links ElBaradei_Powell_030110. ... Image File history File links ElBaradei_Powell_030110. ... General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...   (born 28 June 1928 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish diplomat and politician. ... For the album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... The Plame Affair began in July 2002 when journalist Robert Novak wrote a column revealing that Valerie Plame, the wife of former United States Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, was an operative of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who worked on weapons of mass destruction issues. ... ... This article is about Irans civilian nuclear program. ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... Alexander John Gosse Downer, MP (born 9 September 1951), Australian politician, became Foreign Minister of Australia in March 1996. ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ...

ElBaradei has also been accused by the US of having a lenient approach in dealing with Iran's nuclear program [5] in light of revelations that Iran had covered up substantial aspects of its nuclear program for nearly two decades, and Iran's insistence on continuing to develop uranium enrichment capability. ElBaradei and the IAEA have also been criticized for failing to detect the “nuclear supermarket” run by the Pakistani scientist A. Q. Khan. [6] This article is about Irans civilian nuclear program. ... Dr. Khans face is often reproduced on patriotic posters and signs. ...

October surprise

Eight days before the 2004 U.S. presidential election, ElBaradei informed the UN Security Council of reports by the Iraqi government about 377 tons of missing explosives in Iraq, apparently looted from Al Qa'qaa. The New York Times broke the story the same day. Some pundits referred to the IAEA report as an "October surprise" intended to influence the elections. What became clear, however, is that the Iraqi Minister of Science and Technology had written to ElBaradei on 10 October, reporting the explosives as missing due to theft and looting enabled by the lack of security. Within days after receiving the letter, the IAEA had informed the U.S. mission in Vienna, giving advance warning to the U.S. Government before making the required report to the Security Council. Various reports emerged in the days that followed, including a Pentagon source asserting that the U.S. military had removed 250 tons of explosives from the site just after the war began. For the complete sequence, see the Al Qa'qaa high explosives timeline. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... The Al Qaqaa high explosives controversy concerns the removal of about 340 tonnes of high explosives HMX and RDX before, during, or after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The Al Qaqaa State Establishment in Iraq (also known as al Qaqaa, al Qa Qaa or al QaQa; the difference in spelling is due to differing transliterations of the Arabic name) was a massive weapons facility 48 kilometres south of Baghdad. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... An October surprise is American political jargon describing a stunning news event with the potential to influence the outcome of an election, particularly one for the presidency. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... Look up pentagon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Al Qaqaa high explosives timeline lists events regarding the storage and subsequent removal of high explosives at Al Qaqaa in Iraq, leading to the Al Qaqaa high explosives controversy. ...

2005 Nobel Peace Prize

On October 7, 2005, ElBaradei and the IAEA itself were announced as joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for their "efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way," implicitly disavowing criticism of them since the second Allied-Iraqi Gulf war, and especially the failed U.S.-led attempt to deny ElBaradei a third term in office. ElBaradei donated all his winnings to building orphanages in his home city of Cairo. The IAEA's winnings are being spent on training scientists from developing countries to use nuclear techniques in combating cancer and malnutrition. October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ...

Other Awards

ElBaradei has received multiple awards for his work as an international civil servant. These include:
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award (2006).
The James Park Morton Interfaith Award.
The Golden Plate award from the American Academy of Achievement.
The Jit Trainor award from Georgetown University for distinction in the conduct of diplomacy.
The Human Security award from the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
In 2006, ElBaradei became an Honorary Patron of Trinity's University Philosophical Society, following in the foot steps of previous Nobel Peace Prize Winners Desmond Tutu and John Hume.
ElBaradei has also received honorary doctoral degrees from: New York University; the University of Maryland; the American University in Cairo; the Free Mediterranean University (LUM) in Bari, Italy; Soka University of Japan; Tsinghua University of Beijing, the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.
The Government of Egypt has awarded ElBaradei the Greatest Nile Collar, the highest Egyptian civilian decoration. The Four Freedoms Award is an annual leftist award presented to those men and women who have demonstrated an achievement to the principles lined out in the Four freedoms speech president Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave to the US Congress on 6 January 1941. ... The American Academy of Achievement is a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate and inspire youth. ... Georgetown University, incorporated as the The President and Directors of the College of Georgetown, is one of the top private university in the United States, located in Georgetown, a historic neighborhood of Washington, D.C. With roots extending back to March 25, 1634 and founded in its current form on... The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is an American Muslim public service & policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington D.C. MPAC was founded in 1988. ... The University Philosophical Society (commonly known as The Phil) was founded in 1853, although it claims two predecessor societies. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. ... John Hume. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational institution in New York City. ... University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public coeducational university situated in suburban College Park, Maryland just outside Washington, D.C. The flagship institution of the University System of Maryland, the university is most often referred to... The American University in Cairo (AUC) provides high quality educational opportunities to students from all segments of Egyptian society, as well as from other countries, and contributes to Egypts cultural and intellectual life. ... Soka University (創価大学, Sōka Daigaku) opened in Japan in 1971 (undergraduate) and 1975 (graduate). ... Tsinghua University, (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is a university in Beijing, China. ... Part of the Politehnica campus The Rectorat building Universitatea Politehnica Bucureşti is a technical university of Bucharest, Romania. ...

Quotes

• In an op-ed piece on the dangers of nuclear proliferation, in the New York Times (February 12, 2004), ElBaradei stated:

"We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction, yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security - and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use." [7] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• In the same article, in the New York Times (February 12, 2004), ElBaradei stated:

"If the world does not change course, we risk self-destruction." [8] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• ElBaradei explained to the Cairo Times (October 23, 2003):

"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 [Aida Elkachef] manages three-year olds. We humans are the same when we are three years old and when we are 50!" [9] October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten is the title of a book of short essays by Robert Fulghum, an American Unitarian minister. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Mohamed ElBaradei

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mohamed ElBaradei

• Washington intercepts ElBaradei phone calls for information to displace him
• IAEA - Director General's Corner
• Nobel Peace Prize Lecture video and transcript
• The Nobel Lecture The Nobel Lecture given by The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2005, Mohamed ElBaradei
• The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize - A Photoessay by Scott London
• http://www.law.nyu.edu/pubs/magazine/autumn2006/documents/ElBaradei.pdf