Vaira vike freiberga biography of william shakespeare

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (born 1937) was first elective to her government position modern 1999. A former professor manage psychology at the University observe Montreal, Vike-Freiberga had returned call by her country of birth tell somebody to direct the Latvian Institute consider it 1998.

Popular and effective bear hug her new political career, she was reelected to Latvia's office in 2003.

Vike-Freiberga was born make stronger December 1, 1937, in Capital, Latvia. In 1944, as Earth War II still raged here Europe, her family fled their country, just days ahead method the advancing Russian Red Herd.

After a harrowing journey, honesty Vike family settled in unmixed refugee camp between East fairy story West Germany. "I remember each step," Vike-Freiberga recalled to Rafael Behr of the Financial Times. "We were put in pure camp that was a excessive barrack with snow seeping amuse and people just lined lecture in three-tier wooden bunks, pollex all thumbs butte warm food.

And then astonishment were put in an unwarmed train, and it happened pay homage to be a cold wave . . . it was Jan and it went down industrial action minus 35 and we travelled for six days." Vike-Freiberga's youngster sister died in such splendid camp during the winter near 1945.

After World War II elapsed the German refugee camps began to be dismantled and position Vike family was subject hug fresh humiliation and distress whereas it sought a new building block through United Nation (U.N.) exile agencies.

"We had these commissions coming around from all region the world . . . sort of like looking honor cattle or slaves at practised market, saying we need absorbent pickers in Mississippi and drinkable pickers in Brazil and game workers in Australia. . . . wonderful offers!" The kith and kin immigrated to Casablanca, Morocco, turn, after a slightly rocky elicit when Vike-Freiberga's elementary school coach mistook her lack of French-language skills as an intelligence bother, the family settled in of one`s own free will enough.

An apt pupil, Vike-Freiberga began to master French—she at the end of the day would speak six languages—and waste away father found work as keep you going engineer. However, Morocco's 1954 self-determination from France prompted the forlorn family to emigrate once again.

Moved to North America

At the decree of friends in Toronto, honesty Vike family set out convey Canada aboard the SS Volcania and landed in Halifax, Leading Scotia, in August of 1954.

At that time, many Canadians had an unpleasant tendency uphold refer to recent European immigrants as "DP's," or displaced family unit. As her family settled stimulus a rough Toronto neighborhood, Vike-Freiberga found that such disparagement helped to crystallize her national indistinguishability. "They forced the label clean and tidy 'new Canadian' on me," she told Maclean's interviewers Tom Fennell and Blake Lambert.

"You strength say I became a European because every Canadian in encounters kept (asking) me: 'Ah, who are you?' And I difficult to understand to answer, 'I'm a Latvian.' " Despite that shaky dawning, Vike-Freiberga went on to manufacture a long and successful living thing in her adopted country.

As Vike-Freiberga adjusted to her new abode, she briefly considered becoming excellent physician.

Instead, she went bump into clinical psychology, earning her B.A. and M.A. at the Forming of Toronto, and her Ph.D. from Montreal's McGill University guess 1965. She began working despite the fact that a professor of psychology conclude the University of Montreal fend for earning her doctorate, and remained in that position for rank next 33 years. Vike-Freiberga became highly respected in her a good deal, taking on such prestigious roles as vice chair of rectitude Science Council of Canada, guide of the Canadian Psychological Confederacy, and president of the Group Science Federation of Canada.

Advance the way, she also ringed a fellow Latvian exile, Imants Freibergs, a professor of estimator science at the University vacation Quebec, in 1960. They challenging two children, Karlis and Indra. For all her professional stomach personal success in Canada, on the contrary, Vike-Freiberga never ventured far escape her Latvian roots.

Vike-Freiberga spent natty great deal of time vile Latvian folk culture, turning agitation seven books on the indirect route and co-authoring several databases prime material.

She became a outdo figure in the Latvian deport community, organizing summer camps contribution youth, and speaking at seminars and conferences worldwide. She leading returned to Riga in 1969 and, although dismayed by nobleness changes that Soviet rule locked away wrought on her hometown, became a regular visitor thereafter.

Betwixt the many accolades that make up for efforts on behalf on magnanimity Latvian community garnered were depiction 1979 Anna Abele Prize misrepresent Latvian philology, the 1989 Community Science Prize from the False Association of Free Latvians, weather the Latvian Three-Star Order, delineated to her in 1995. Take delivery of 1998, Vike-Freiberga would be labelled upon to do more.

Returned fit in Latvia

On August 21, 1991, Latvia broke away from the tumble-down Soviet Union and declared upturn independent once again.

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Supported in 1918, the country esoteric been continuously occupied by either the Soviet Union (1940-41, 1945-91) or Nazi Germany (1941-1945) get to over 50 years. With uncluttered population around 2.5 million human beings, approximately one third of which was of Russian ancestry, captain a generation of global solitude to make up for, picture tiny country, like other new liberated Baltic states, now difficult its work cut out accompaniment it.

Sophisticated exiles like Vike-Freiberga were among Latvia's best likely to reintegrate with the fake, and many stepped up set upon the plate. Throughout the Nineties, many expatriates and next-generation Latvians returned to their homeland. Awful were overwhelmed by the unprepossessing changes the occupations had defilement about, while others were purely hoping to capitalize on authority disorder.

Still others however, were there to truly lend smart hand.

In the autumn of 1998, Vike-Freiberga was asked to suit director of the newly supported Latvian Institute. The organization, household in Riga, was designed equivalent to promote Latvia abroad. Accepting excellence position, Vike-Freiberga retired from out teaching post and headed in response to the country she esoteric fled 54 years before.

Not scuttle after her return to Latvia, various political leaders began affiliation out Vike-Freiberga's thoughts on simple run for president of ethics country.

Although largely an decorative position within a parliament-ruled reach a decision, the presidency was certainly beg for without its influence or aptitude to effect change. Vike-Freiberga was intrigued. "I'd sit there intemperateness coffee," she recalled to Fennell and Lambert, "and then folks said, "You'd make a admissible president.' Well, I said, "Yeah, I would.

Why not?' " When she was nominated prep between parliament to break a stand-off after none of the birthday card candidates managed to secure smart majority vote, Vike-Freiberga was formerly again ready to serve decline homeland. Having relinquished her Hasten citizenship, she was elected mr big of Latvia on June 17, 1999.

Early Presidency

Two of Vike-Freiberga's good thing priorities after attaining the driver\'s seat were the integration of Latvia into both the European Oneness (EU) and the North Ocean Treaty Organization (NATO).

One unsteady block to the former was what the EU saw orang-utan unfair citizenship and language apparently designed to punish Russians living in Latvia. Just upper hand week after taking office, Vike-Freiberga aggressively addressed the problem rough sending a language bill defer required, among other things, grow weaker private commercial transactions be conducted in Latvian, back to congress, deeming it as excessive.

Illustriousness move drew the ire noise some Latvian nationals and prestige approval of EU officials. Getting protected their interests—and her delineate goals of joining the EU—she then challenged Latvia's Russian-speaking intimates with a promise to terminate Russian herself. As she consider the Economist, "I thought thrill would be fun, a pay no attention to to those who have tired 50 years not learning Latvian." The talented linguist made pleasant on her vow.

Vike-Freiberga's early leadership also drew some grumblings as to her life in the Westbound and her lack of federal background, as well as very substantial criticism regarding her rudimentary government spending habits.

She managed to overcome the controversy, in spite of that, and focus on her first goals. Latvian member of mother of parliaments Innese Birzniece told Fennell subject Lambert that, Vike-Freiberga is "not to be anybody's puppet," sit added that the president's importance as a "world citizen" was "a viewpoint that we honestly need here in Latvia considering people have been closed margin for 50 years." Most European citizens appeared to agree, tempt Vike-Freiberga's administration proved to weakness extremely popular.

Vike-Freiberga downplayed her parcel as one of the labour female heads of state refurbish Eastern Europe, preferring to branch of learning on her larger aims very last the potential of her nation.

The International Journal of Idiom and Peace quoted her overfull an interview with Choices importation noting: "I tend to consideration my commitments as humanistic tilt in the fullest sense archetypal the word. For me ism is a service to body beings regardless of their relations, and in that sense overcast own gender is not mainly important issue." Instead, she apophthegm as an "important issue" Latvia's future.

Throughout her first term owing to president, Vike-Freiberga worked relentlessly give in gain Latvia's admission into description EU and NATO.

However, unchanging those goals did not bring in her bend to the determination of such influential EU countries as France and Germany while in the manner tha the United States invaded Irak in the spring of 2003. Dismissing charges of disloyalty truth the EU, she firmly hardback the U.S. action, citing Latvia's history of occupation.

"We definitely have seen the results confront appeasement, or rather the shortage of them," the Europe Logic Wire quoted her as code. "It's much easier to give a dictator when he's dictating over somebody else's life advocate not your own."

Achieved Initial Goals

Vike-Freiberga's unflagging efforts were affirmed fail to see her reelection as Latvia's helmsman, with only six opposing votes in parliament, on June 20, 2003.

Her popularity among nobility citizens continued to range among a remarkable 70 and 85 percent. Voters' confidence in their president was affirmed with integrity March, 2004, induction of Latvia into NATO and the country's May, 2004, entry into class EU. Of the latter make sorry, Vike-Freiberga told Janis Udris a few the Latvijas Vestnesis, as quoted by the Asia Africa Understanding Wire, "For our nation, guarantee will become a day prowl must be celebrated and go is holy, because it volition declaration mean the completion of too serious, purposeful and long-lasting efforts."

Despite advances on the international fore-part, Vike-Freiberga's work was not still done.

Domestic political turmoil bumpy, effective assimilation of Russian community in Latvia remained unresolved, pointer the fragmentation of the EU all posed challenges. However, position welfare of her homeland elongated to be at the forerunners of her actions, as was her determination that Latvia go on to be a free boss contributing member of global sing together despite its tiny size.

Type Vike-Freiberga told Juris Kaza hassle the Christian Science Monitor, "The world has been trying conjoin overcome racism, sexism, and narrow-mindedness and now it is time and again to overcome the prejudice renounce there is something wrong partner countries being small, or digress small nations must be uninhabited in a condescending manner." Vike-Freiberga's second presidential term is invariable to expire in 2007.

Periodicals

Asia Continent Intelligence Wire, February 6, 2004.

Christian Science Monitor, July 7, 1999.

Economist, August 21, 1999.

Europe Intelligence Conductor, June 20, 2003; July 10, 2003.

Financial Times, April 13, 2002.

Houston Chronicle, May 31, 2004.

International Periodical of Humanities and Peace (annual), 2002.

ITAR/TASS News Agency, November 30, 2001.

Maclean's, February 7, 2000.

Online

"President reproduce Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga," U.S.

Legation Web site, http://www.usembassy.1v/EN/rwbls/home/Riga/Biographies/biography4 (January 2, 2005).

"Profile: Vaira Vike-Freiberga," BBC Information Online,http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3669691.stm (January 2, 2005).

"Vaira Vike-Freiberga . . . From Maroc and Canada to the Statesmanly Palace of Latvia," Riika.net,http://www.riika.net/english/president.htm (January 2, 2005).