One on One - Jorge Sampaio - Nov 1 2008 - part 1

This week on One on One, meet Jorge Sampaio, the former Portuguese president and international diplomat. Politics was in Sampaio's blood from an early age, as he watched his country go from being run by a dictator to becoming a politically progressive nation. He went on to become one of the country's most popular politicians and was eventually elected to the top job. A taste of activism came early in life as he joined student protests against Portugal's fascist regime in the 1960s. Sampaio's success in international diplomacy marked him as an outstanding politican Even as a young lawyer, Sampaio found himself involved in the defence of many political prisoners. As mayor of Lisbon from 1989 to 1995, he gained a lot of popularity, setting him up for election to the presidency in 1996 and re-election in 2001. Sampaio went on to carve a reputation as an international diplomat after he left office in early 2005, heading up the United Nations' Alliance of Civilisations, where he promoted greater dialogue between the Muslim world and the West.

AlJazeera | November 2, 2008

Tags:. .top. .many. .week. .setting. .office