If there are names in international diplomacy that have become synonymous with statesmanship and conflict resolution, Hans Blix is certainly one of them. The former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) turned 96 in June, and although his life in retirement means he no longer plays an active role in nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, his legacy has left an indelible mark on the institutions where he served, elevating the causes for which he fought.
Blix was most prominent globally as the person Bill Swainson, a former senior editor at Bloomsbury London, described as “the one unimpeachable inside witness to the events leading up to the war in Iraq.” It was the crescendo of Blix’s career, as chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, mandated with finding out if Iraq had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction. In the sensitive role, he established that the dreaded weapons widely assumed to be possessed by Saddam Hussein didn’t exist. Läs artikel