Nelson Mandela—Leader among Leaders
納爾遜·曼德拉——領袖中的領袖
Chief among African leaders， Nelson Mandela is one of few statesmen to have achieved almost universal prestige around the world. His role in fighting apartheid， his imprisonment on Robben Island—where he came to symbolize the struggle of oppressed people around the world—and his ability to steer South Africa through the crisis of its rebirth have earned him the international reputation of benevolent negotiator and quintessential peacemaker.
Imprisoned for 27 years for his opposition to apartheid， Mandela came out of prison in 1990 expressing no bitterness towards his tormentors. Instead， he championed reconciliation among South Africa's polarized races， espousing the principles of nation-building and cooperative governance.
Mandela was one of the few leaders capable of inspiring confidence both inside and outside the country. Few others would have managed to unite the disparate warring parties and steer South Africa from what seemed to be the brink of civil war. To some， Mandela has a near-omnipotent power at the negotiating table， carrying with him an indubitable moral authority and gentle but firm sense of fairness.
As South Africa's first democratically elected President in 1994， Mandela tackled the great challenge of uniting both the country's racial groupings and a fragmented public service system. And a significant milestone of his presidency was the constitution-making process.
Mandela is well known for taking a strong stand against the giant world powers—especially in defense of Africa. As President， he was unrestrained in embracing the ANC's former allies， in spite of criticism from the United States. His position has also made for relationships with both Russia and China， former allies of the ANC.
Since handing over the reigns of the presidency to Thabo Mbeki in 1999， Mandela has played a key role as middleman in crisis-hit areas. In particular， he sealed a peace agreement with the warring factions in Burundi， after replacing Tanzania's Julius Nyerere as chief negotiator. He was also called upon to hammer out a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Later on， Mbeki took over his role in that war-ravaged country， which in 2006 held its first presidential elections in over 40 decades.