“Probably the most important thing to know about [Mark] Rutte … is that he is a very controlled person,” FP’s Caroline de Gruyter writes in her profile of the Dutch prime minister who will soon lead NATO. “He often gives people the impression that he is spontaneous, taking things lightly as they come. But under the surface of the easygoing, smiling Dutchman who cycles to the office, apple in hand, there is a lot more going on.”
The profiles in this edition of Flash Points go beyond the image that global power brokers such as Rutte seek to project and aim to uncover how they think, what drives them, and how their policies and ideologies could influence international politics.
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tours the Avebe Innovation Center in Groningen, Netherlands, on May 22. Siese Veenstra/ANP/Redux
NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time
Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance, FP’s Caroline de Gruyter writes.
Oriana Fenwick illustration for Foreign Policy
The Man Who Would Help Trump Upend the Global Economy
As a potential U.S. Treasury secretary, Robert Lighthizer has more than trade policy to revolutionize, FP’s Edward Alden writes.
Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters during her presidential campaign launch event in Mexico City on March 1. Jaime Lopez/Getty Images
The Woman Inheriting AMLO’s Revolution
Claudia Sheinbaum’s most daunting political challenge will be persona, not policy, Ana Sofía Rodríguez Everaert writes.
Italian Gen. Roberto Vannacci at a book presentation in Rome on April 30.Massimo Di Vita/Mondadori Portfolio/Sipa USA
How an Obscure General Became the Star of Italy’s Far Right
Bestselling author Roberto Vannacci is eclipsing Giorgia Meloni, but entering politics could blunt his popularity, Giorgio Ghiglione writes.
Reshidev RK illustration for Foreign Policy
Modi’s Messenger to the World
FP’s Rishi Iyengar examines how the diplomat-turned-politician S. Jaishankar became the chief executor of India’s assertive foreign policy.