Glimpse - Your Stories from Abroad

At Glimpse, one of our goals is to inspire you to engage with people from other cultures. But what if you actually become engaged to someone from another culture? And what if that someone happens to be a foreign head of state?

OK, it’s probably unlikely that you’ll find yourself tangled up with a single foreign prime minister, prince, princess, or Supreme Commander. But it wouldn’t hurt to know who they are. Here’s our list of the planet’s five most eligible leaders—because you never know where your international affairs may lead you.
 

Matti Taneli Vanhanen

Photo by Senat RP/Polish Senate.

Age: 53
Height: 1.9 meters (6’2”)
Occupation: Prime Minister of Finland
Favorite pastime: Chopping wood
Smoothest break-up: Sent text message to then-girlfriend Susan Kuronen that read simply, “That’s it.”
Number of books about his love life: One: The Prime Minister’s Bride
Favorite pick-up spot: Ikea. Vanhanen reportedly helped a woman hoist a heavy flat-packed bed into her shopping cart, and started dating her shortly thereafter.

At a glance:
Matti doesn’t drink and rarely smiles. But this didn’t stop him from being voted “Sexiest Man of 2005” by the readers of the Finnish weekly women’s magazine Eeva. Sadly, his athletic build and square-cut jaw weren’t enough to win him the presidency in 2006, when he lost a challenge from current President Tarja Halonen. Perhaps he has American comedian Conan O'Brien to blame, who looks so much like Halonen that he actually dressed up like her and campaigned for her in Finland.

Testimonials:
“[Matti is] the sexiest man in Finland” – French President Jacques Chirac to Spanish PM José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at the Europe-Asia summit in Helsinki in 2006

“Once after kissing me, he said that I taste even better than an oven-baked potato. That was great!” – Susan Kuronen, ex-girlfriend

Says Matti:
“[I] have not, in 30 years, needed advice and I do not take it.”
 
 

Kim Jong-Il

Age: 67 (according to N. Korea); 68 (according to Soviet records)
Height: 5’3”
Height with platform shoes and pompadour: Over 5’7”. Tremendously insecure about his height, Kim is known to wear specially designed four-inch platform shoes and a bouffant pompadour.
Occupation: Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, author, architect, filmmaker, producer, Internet expert
Number of films in his personal collection: 15,000-20,000
Favorite films: All James Bond movies (excluding Die Another Day in which Bond battles North Korea), the Friday the 13th series, and anything with Elizabeth Taylor.
Drink of choice: Hennessy Cognac. He claims to have spent roughly half a million dollars a year on Hennessy between 1989 and 1999, after which doctors forced him to switch to Bordeaux wine for health reasons.
Number of look-alikes: At least two. They are trained to speak and act like Kim, and have undergone extensive plastic surgery to increase their resemblance to the leader. They fill in at smaller functions to protect the leader from assassination attempts.
Greatest phobia: Flying. Kim is rumored to travel only by armored train. He also has lobsters airlifted into the train daily, and eats them with silver chopsticks while surrounded by beautiful women.
Number of talents he possesses: 10,000, according to his deceased father Kim Il Sung

At a glance:
According to North Korean official records, Kim’s birth was announced by a sparrow that descended directly from heaven. Married at least once, Kim is always interested in meeting new people and has had at least three semi-official mistresses with whom he has three or four children, depending on the source consulted. A self-proclaimed “Internet expert,” Kim is also on record as the author of hundreds of books, half a dozen operas, a number of musicals, the design for the Juche Tower in Pyongyang, and the writer and/or producer of dozens of films.

Testimonials:
“He was not some crazy person. He was very polite. He had things he wanted to say. He didn’t work from any notes or talking points. He had tremendous confidence.” – Wendy Sherman, special advisor to Bill Clinton on North Korea

“Topped off with a rakish root-perm thatch, Jong Il resembles a guerrilla version of a Cabbage Patch Doll." – Hannah Betts of The London Times on Kim Jong-Il’s fashion sense

Says Kim:
"Small as a midget's turd, aren't I?" – to South Korean actress Choi Eun Hee whom he kidnapped and brought to North Korea
 
 

Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

Photo contributed by Royal Family of Bhutan (cc).

Age: 29
Occupation: Dragon King of Bhutan, head of the Wangchuck Dynasty
Education: M.Phil. in Politics from Oxford
Family: All of his father's wives are sisters so his aunts are also his stepmothers and his siblings are his cousins
Number of songs written for him: One, entitled “Precious Prince of Hearts,” composed by the Rangsit University of Thailand, which awarded him an Honorary Doctorate degree

At a glance:
Perhaps the most eligible bachelor in Asia, Jigme is also the world’s youngest head of state. He is a devout Buddhist and is widely known for his compassion—as a prince, he adopted a young village boy with congenital eye problems and sent him abroad for treatment that saved his sight. Once dubbed a “Red Hot Prince Charming” by the Thai press, Wangchuck is committed to other people’s happiness: After all, his country measures its prosperity with a Gross National Happiness index instead of a GDP.

Testimonials:
"I have never seen him in a fast car." – Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley

“He is smart, modest and polite, and most importantly, he is very good-looking.” Nattinee Bunsompoppun, Thai government official

“With the look like Asian idol and humble plus friendly maner [sic] soo(n) king to be crown prince Jigme be top of heart of thai girl now (both young and not young girl)” – Meena U, Thai blogger

Says Jigme:
“I have no personal goals. I will adopt your aspirations as my own and work towards fulfilling them.”

"I shall give you everything and keep nothing.”
 

Michelle Bachelet

Photo by Ricardo Stuckert (cc).

Age: 57
Sign: Libra
Occupation: President of Chile
Best press moment: Getting photographed while jumping on top of an amphibious tank during a major flood and leading the troops through the raging waters
Rank on Forbes’ list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World: 25
Favorite pastimes: Playing guitar, spending time with her children
Number of languages she speaks: Five (Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, and French)

At a glance:
While she exudes an easy smile when dealing with fans and difficult world leaders alike—a vestige of her former career as a pediatrician—Michelle is no pushover. She is not only Chile’s first female president, but also a single mother in a country that only just legalized divorce in 2004. That’s not even to mention that in 1975, the then-23-year-old and her mother were kidnapped and tortured by the same government that killed her father.

Testimonials:
“Count me among the inspired.” – Hillary Clinton

“If only we had 20 like Michelle.” – Carlos Ominami, Chilean Senator

Says Michelle:
“All I want in life is to walk along the beach, holding my lover's hand.”

“I am a woman, a socialist, separated, and agnostic—all the sins together.”

 

Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi

Age: 22
Height: 5’7”
Occupation: Fourth-in-line successor to the Monaco throne
Other jobs worked: None, really—but she did intern at London’s The Independent in 2007.
Best birthday present received: A private island off the coast of Sardinia, at age five
Favorite pastimes: Horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding, playing piano, swimming
Honors received: Included in Vanity Fair’s 67th Annual International Best-Dressed List in 2006.

At a glance:
With the late Italian sportsman Stefano Casiraghi as her father, Princess Caroline of Monaco as her mother, and celebrated film legend Grace Kelly as her grandmother, it’s no wonder that this young heiress has gained a reputation as one of the most attractive and stylish young women in Europe. Her mother has made an effort to keep her out of the media spotlight, though she does make regular appearances for Monaco National Day and the Monaco Grand Prix.

Testimonials:
“She was stunning.” – Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel head designer and creative director, regarding Casiraghi’s appearance at her 18th birthday party.