Take the leadership of NATO today: Who is Mark Rutte personally and professionally
Mark Rutte merr mandatin sot si Sekretari i ri i Përgjithshëm i NATO-s
2024-10-01 12:59:21
TiranaPost
Mark Rutte is no idealist.
In fact, he is ready for anything to achieve what he wants, as demonstrated by the agreement reached with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, to whom, in exchange for his support for the nomination, he assured him that he will not force the country to accept part of the alliance's new plans to support Ukraine.
Born in The Hague 57 years ago, Mark Rutte is the son of a businessman and a secretary.
He graduated in history in Leiden and has been a leader of the young liberals of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
While starting a brief career as a human resources manager at Unilever and Calvé, he began to climb the ranks of his party, which he then led from 2006 to 2023, becoming his country's longest-serving prime minister.
1.94 meters tall, Protestant, unmarried, with seven brothers, one of whom died of AIDS, Rutte is known for his modest life.
He lives in the same house in The Hague that he bought at a young age and rides his bike to work. Even as prime minister he continued to teach social studies at a high school once a week.
A good negotiator? It is the last two moves for which he is most criticized.
One is precisely the very flattering way in which he got the reluctant Orban's yes to his NATO appointment.
He wrote her a letter in which he somewhat apologized for comments made in 2021 against anti-LGBTQ policies.
"Either respect the rules or leave the EU. We have to bring him to his knees", he said at the time.
Instead, he eventually got down on his knees and assured Orban that as head of the Alliance he would work "to preserve unity and treat all allies with the same level of understanding and respect."
"He is very good at apologizing - explains Petra De Koning, NRC journalist and author of a biography published in 2020 - Just as he is good at studying others and understanding what he is important to them: do they want compliments?" Do they want hugs?
Do they want him to show humility, as he did with Erdogan in Istanbul (always to get the OK for his NATO appointment)?
He doesn't have a big ego, although there are occasional outbursts of anger behind the scenes.
As Prime Minister he was extremely flexible.
He worked with the left and the right to stay in power.
His liberalism is basically: let people live their lives as they want, as long as they respect the law.
