Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Anders Fogh Rasmussen (ˈɑnɐs ˈfɔʊ̯ˀ ˈʁɑsmusn̩; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish
politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO
. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark
from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen was the leader of the Liberal Party (Venstre
), and headed a right-wing coalition with the Conservative People's Party
which took office in 2001, and won its second and third terms in February 2005 and in November 2007. Rasmussen's government relied on the Danish People's Party
for support, in keeping with the Danish tradition for minority government
. His government introduced tougher limits on non-ECA
immigration and froze tax rates before he took office (the "tax freeze", or skattestoppet in Danish). He has authored several books about taxation and government structure.
In his early career, Rasmussen was a strident critic of the welfare state
, writing the classical liberal
book From Social State to Minimal State
in 1993. However, through the 1990s, his views moved towards the political centre
. Under Rasmussen, certain taxes were lowered, but the Conservative
coalition partners repeatedly argued for more tax cuts and a flat tax
rate at no higher than 50%. Fogh implemented an administrative reform reducing the number of municipalities (kommuner) and replacing the thirteen counties
(amter) with five regions
. Rasmussen referred to this as "the biggest reform in thirty years".
He is of no relation to either his predecessor, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
, or to his successor, Lars Løkke Rasmussen
; their shared last name is a very common name in Denmark.
, Jutland
, to farmer Søren Rasmussen and Marie Rasmussen (née Fogh). His surname is Rasmussen, while Fogh, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name and not considered part of his last name. He is correctly referred to as Rasmussen (not Fogh Rasmussen), unless his full name (including his given name) is used. In Danish media and society, he has often been popularly referred to as Fogh Rasmussen, or merely Anders Fogh, when not referred to by his full name, mainly to distinguish him from other prominent politicians in the country with the same family name.
He matriculated in languages and social studies from Viborg Cathedral School, in 1969–1972. and studied Economics at the University of Aarhus
, graduating in 1978. He has been active in politics most of his life and has authored several books about taxation and government structure. He and his wife Anne-Mette (born 1958) married in 1978 and have three children: Henrik (born 1979), Maria (born 1981) and Christina (born 1984).
As an amateur cyclist, Rasmussen completed part of the notorious Alpe d'Huez
stage of the 2008 Tour de France the day after the professional race took place. His attendance at Le Tour was at the invitation of Danish former cyclist Bjarne Riis
. Rasmussen is also an avid runner.
(Danish parliament) in 1978.
, and limiting the size of government.
Rasmussen wrote the book From Social State to Minimal State
in 1993, in which he advocated an extensive reform of the Danish welfare system along classic liberal lines. In particular, he favors lower taxes and less government interference in corporate
and individual matters etc. In 1993 he was awarded the Adam Smith award by the libertarian
society Libertas, partly due to him having written From Social State to Minimal State.
government.
In 1992 Rasmussen resigned from his ministerial posts after a report from a commission of inquiry had decided that he had provided the Folketing with inaccurate and incomplete information regarding his decision to postpone payment of several bills from Regnecentralen
and Kommunedata
from one accounting year to the next. Rasmussen disagreed with the findings of the commission, but faced with the threat of a motion of no confidence
, he decided to leave his posts voluntarily.
) Party won power in the November 2001 election, defeating the Social Democratic government of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
and enabling him to form his first Cabinet
. That election marked a dramatic change in Danish politics. It was the first time since 1920 that the Social Democratic Party lost its position as the largest party in the Folketing
(parliament), mainly due to a loss of working class votes to Dansk Folkeparti (The Danish People's Party).
to form a minority government
with the parliamentary support of Dansk Folkeparti. Together these three parties survived both the 2005 election
and the 2007 election
.
After becoming Prime Minister, Rasmussen distanced himself from his earlier writings and announced the death of neoliberalism
during the national elections of 2005. Commonly regarded as being inspired by the previous success of Tony Blair
, Rasmussen now seems more in favour of the theories of Anthony Giddens
and his third way
. There was talk in Libertas of revoking Fogh Rasmussen's award as a result of this, though this never happened.
His government has also enacted tough measures designed to limit the number of immigrants coming to Denmark, specifically as asylumseekers or through arranged marriages. However, the Fogh Rasmussen governments have depended on the support of Dansk Folkeparti, and it is impossible to draw a clear dividing line between the ideology of Fogh Rasmussen and the politics of his government resulting from compromises with Dansk Folkeparti.
. While the overall tax burden was more or less unchanged from 1993 until 2001 , however, there was a shift in the taxation of income, both corporate and personal over to a higher level on personal consumption (especially through the "ecological taxes" (da. grønne afgifter)), which gave the average citizen the impression of rising taxes.
This "tax stop" was criticized by the parties on the left wing of Danish politics, allegedly for being "antisocial" and "only for the rich." Since the tax stop also froze the tax of real property (da. ejendomsværdiskat, 1%), it was beneficial to homeowners in the densely populated regions that have experienced an extraordinary increase in the prices of real estate. The tax of real estate is actually limited at a nominal level — not at a relative level. While the rate was one percent when the tax stop was enacted, the actual tax is much less today when the last few years' large increase in property value (+20%/p.a. in large cities) is taken into account. The Danish Economic Council has criticized this as unfairly benefiting current homeowners.
Even though the total tax burden was marginally higher in 2005 than it was in 2001, the tax stop was very popular among voters. Thus, in January 2005, the Social Democrats
announced that they accepted the principle of a tax stop until at least one right-wing party was willing to participate in a tax reform.
The tax stop has, however, been ineffective, judging by Venstre's own intentions. The goal of the tax stop was to halt the growth of public expenditures (and halt the growth of taxes), but even with their cuts in public spending (which were considered aggressive by the political left wing), public spending continued to rise by approximately one percentage point above inflation each year.
From 2004 and onwards, minor tax cuts came into effect, on two accounts:
In 2009 a major tax reform was implemented. The overall marginal tax rate was reduced by 7.5%. In the end, the top tax rate (topskatten) was not changed, but the income level at which it began was raised. This had the effect of removing 350,000 Danes from the top tax bracket. The medium tax rate was eliminated, and the lowest was reduced by 1.5%. Various other tax reforms were enacted such as an increase in the old age pension, incentives for renovation, and various initiatives designed to improve energy efficiency. Finance Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, called it the biggest reduction in the marginal tax rate since the introduction of income tax in 1903.
Some of the more ambitious elements of the reforms (such as a lowereing of the "top tax" rate) had to be changed or greatly reduced in order to receive the necessary support from the more tax friendly Danish People's Party.
from July to December 2002 during which period he proved his dedication to a pro-EU agenda and the guiding principles of the Ellemann-Jensen doctrine
. He even pursued it to its logical conclusion by publicly denouncing the Danish collaboration policy during its second World War occupation, being the first Danish prime minister ever to do this. While his predecessors may not have been in favour of it, they had all implicitly maintained that it was 'a good thing', because it had saved Danish lives.
During the EU presidency he was involved in a curious episode with then Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi
. In a joint press conference on 4 October 2002 Silvio Berlusconi said: "Rasmussen is the most handsome prime minister in Europe. I think I will introduce him to my wife because he is even more handsome than Cacciari". Massimo Cacciari
is an Italian philosopher and centrist politician opposing Berlusconi, and some gossip tabloids had alleged an affair between him and Berlusconi's second wife Veronica Lario
. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1005001,00.html Rasmussen was puzzled by this remark and Berlusconi quickly told him he'd explain later.
As Prime Minister, Rasmussen strongly supported the 2003 Iraq War
. As in most European countries he faced considerable opposition, both in the parliament and in the general population. Subsequent opinion polls suggested the Danish population's opinion was split on the issue. One vocal protester managed to get into the Danish parliament during the period before the war, where he poured red paint on the prime minister while yelling "Du har blod på dine hænder" (literally: "You have blood on your hands"). A member of the Danish parliament, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
, stated that it was a reaction she might have made under the circumstances, although she has later denounced such threatening behaviour against politicians. Denmark was one of only five countries to take part in the actual invasion operations (the others being the US, UK, Poland and Australia) though the contingent mainly consisted of two minor warships and staff and radio units, that were never involved in actual combat. In the months after the initial phase of the war, Danish troops participated in the multi-national force stationed in Iraq. Approximately 550 Danish troops were stationed in Iraq
from 2004 and into 2007, first at "Camp Dannevang" and later at "Camp Einherjer", both near Basra
. When the contingent of troops left around August 2007, it was not replaced and Denmark has shifted its focus to non-military support around Baghdad. The official reason being provided is that the Iraqi government should now be able to handle the security in the Basra area. Critics of Fogh Rasmussen argue that the withdrawal was motivated by a decreasing domestic support for the war.
In 2004 Rasmussen's government came under attack based on questions of how much intelligence it had with regard to Iraq
i weapons of mass destruction
. The government held hearings, and was forced to publish classified reports it had consulted about the likelihood of banned weapons existing in Iraq.
While the Blair and Bush administrations have been the subject of criticism for extended periods because of their reliance on questionable intelligence, Rasmussen has managed to stay clear of this potential government crisis. This is probably largely because the motion passed by parliament (Folketinget) authorising the deployment of Danish troops states as the reason for the deployment Iraq's continued refusal to cooperate with UN inspectors in violation of the UN Security Council's resolution. The Danish deployment of troops was thus not formally based on a claim that Iraq had WMD's.
In a comment to the media Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated as one of the reasons to support a military intervention, "Irak har masseødelæggelsesvåben. Det er ikke noget vi tror. Vi ved det. Irak har selv indrømmet, at det har haft sennepsgas, nervegas, miltbrand, men Saddam vil ikke afregne. Han vil ikke fortælle os, hvor og hvordan de våben er blevet destrueret. Det ved vi fra FN's inspektører, så der er ingen tvivl i mit sind." (In English: "Iraq has WMDs. It is not something we think, it is something we know. Iraq has itself admitted that it has had mustard gas, nerve gas, anthrax, but Saddam won't disclose. He won't tell us where and how these weapons have been destroyed. We know this from the UN inspectors, so there is no doubt in my mind.").
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service
(FE) had produced a classified report stating that it had no absolute proof of WMDs in Iraq. Rasmussen had access to this report and used it in other parts of his decision making. Since the presence of WMDs in Iraq has now been refuted, Rasmussen has focused almost exclusively on the tyrannical nature of Saddam Hussein's regime. A former FE analyst, Major Frank Grevil
, was sentenced to four months in prison for leaking the information to the press. Grevil argues that Rasmussen has either lied about or misunderstood the content of the secret reports in his presentations to the parliament. During Rasmussen's administrations, Denmark has also deployed troops to Afghanistan
, Bosnia
and Kosovo
. All three missions have only met minor political opposition. Rasmussen as a prime minister rejected insistent demands from the opposition that there should be investigations into the Denmark's involvement in the Iraq war, similar to the ones in the US and the UK, on the grounds that the his government took arms against Saddam not because of possible arms possessed, but because of Saddam's failure to comply with UN resolutions.
s between gay
couples have been legal in Denmark since 1989. In January 2004, Rasmussen stated his belief that homosexuals should be able to be married in religious ceremonies, which is not currently allowed in the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Denmark
, but he has said it should be up to religious communities to decide whether to perform ceremonies for gay couples.
for 8 February 2005. He delayed the call by a couple of weeks because of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
which killed several Danes. His government had been criticized by a few Danes for what they thought was a slow response to that crisis, although a clear majority applauded the government's way of dealing with the disaster.
Although his party's support was reduced from the 2001 election, resulting in the loss of four seats, Venstre was able to maintain its coalition after the election through gains by other parties, and on 18 February Rasmussen formed the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II
.
Rasmussen received the most "personal votes" ever of any politician in the Folketing (Denmark's Parliament) with 61,792.
, a major Danish newspaper. In September 2005 the newspaper printed a full page with 12 cartoons depicting various interpretations of Muhammad, including one in which Muhammad appeared with a bomb in his turban. Some of the schools of the Islamic religion do not allow depiction of the figure of Mohammed. Many Muslims found the cartoons offensive. Rasmussen denied a request from 11 ambassadors of Middle-Eastern countries to discuss the issue. Rasmussen has described the controversy as Denmark's worst international crisis since World War II. He was quoted, saying, later, that he "was deeply distressed that the cartoons were seen by some Muslims as an attempt by Denmark to mark and insult or behave disrespectfully towards Islam or Mohammed."
, Anders Fogh Rasmussen claimed victory on the basis of almost complete results. By the morning of 14 November 2007, after results came through from the Faroe Islands
and Greenland
, Fogh Rasmussen's centre-right coalition of the Liberals
, the Conservative People's Party
and the Danish People's Party
had obtained the 90 seats required for him to continue as Prime Minister, making him the longest-ruling Liberal Prime Minister of Denmark.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen became the 12th NATO Secretary General on 1 August 2009, succeeding Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
, who held the post from 2004 until 2009. The announcement was made on 4 April 2009, at the 2009 Strasbourg–Kehl summit in Strasbourg
. During the final selection process only one country, Turkey, remained opposed to Rasmussen's candidacy, partly because of his handling of the cartoon episode
in 2005, when the publication in some Danish newspapers of cartoons of Muhammad caused violent protests. Another major point of Turkey's opposition was Denmark's tolerance of Roj TV
, which is claimed by the Turkish government to be a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK). Eventually, Turkey withdrew its opposition to Rasmussen's appointment when it received assurances from US president Barack Obama
that Turkish officials would be appointed to three high posts in NATO.
After taking up his duty as NATO Secretary General on 1 August 2009, Rasmussen's first mission was a visit to Afghanistan
, where he met with President Karzai
and senior Afghan ministers, including Minister for Foreign Affairs Spanta
, Minister for Defence General Wardak, and Minister of Interior Atmar to discuss the then impending presidential and provincial council elections
in the country.
In April, 2011, in relation to the 2011 Libyan civil war
Rasmussen said that on the day NATO started
taking command
of the mission under the U.N. mandate, the alliance ruled out arming the rebels. Rasmussen said the coalition under his control was clear about its mission. "We are not in Libya to arm people. We are in Libya to protect civilians against attacks" from loyalists of the country's Muammar Gaddafi
government, he said at that time.
In October 2011, the intensive 7-month NATO intervention had "now moved much closer" to its end, according to Rasmussen. The last two major outposts of Gaddafi loyalists -- Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte
and the town of Bani Walid
-- had fallen and the deposed leader had been killed
as he tried to flee from Sirte toward Misrata. Gaddafi's killing came with close NATO aerial support of Libyan ground forces.
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Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO
Secretary General of NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the chairman of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. The Secretary-General also serves as the leader of the organisation's staff and as its chief spokesman...
. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen was the leader of the Liberal Party (Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
), and headed a right-wing coalition with the Conservative People's Party
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
which took office in 2001, and won its second and third terms in February 2005 and in November 2007. Rasmussen's government relied on the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
for support, in keeping with the Danish tradition for minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. His government introduced tougher limits on non-ECA
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
immigration and froze tax rates before he took office (the "tax freeze", or skattestoppet in Danish). He has authored several books about taxation and government structure.
In his early career, Rasmussen was a strident critic of the welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, writing the classical liberal
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
book From Social State to Minimal State
From Social State to Minimal State
From Social State to Minimal State is a book written by Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Published in 1993, the future Danish Prime Minister laid out his classical liberal views that Denmark should transition from a welfare state into a low-tax economy, and how he believed it should be done.Rasmussen was a...
in 1993. However, through the 1990s, his views moved towards the political centre
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
. Under Rasmussen, certain taxes were lowered, but the Conservative
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
coalition partners repeatedly argued for more tax cuts and a flat tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
rate at no higher than 50%. Fogh implemented an administrative reform reducing the number of municipalities (kommuner) and replacing the thirteen counties
Counties of Denmark
Denmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties , and 270 municipalities . On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions and the number of municipalities slashed to 98....
(amter) with five regions
Regions of Denmark
The Regions of Denmark were created as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform. The five regions replace the former sixteen counties . At the same time, the number of municipalities was cut from 270 to 98. The reform was made effective on 1 January 2007.- List of regions :The names of the regions...
. Rasmussen referred to this as "the biggest reform in thirty years".
He is of no relation to either his predecessor, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen , informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943), was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and is currently President of the Party of European Socialists . He was the leader of the governing Social Democrats from 1992 to 2002...
, or to his successor, Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
; their shared last name is a very common name in Denmark.
Personal life
Anders Fogh Rasmussen was born in 1952 in GinnerupGinnerup
Ginnerup , is a small settlement in Denmark, located in north eastern Jutland. It is located around 10 km west of Grenå. It is a part of Norddjurs Municipality in Region Midtjylland....
, Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, to farmer Søren Rasmussen and Marie Rasmussen (née Fogh). His surname is Rasmussen, while Fogh, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name and not considered part of his last name. He is correctly referred to as Rasmussen (not Fogh Rasmussen), unless his full name (including his given name) is used. In Danish media and society, he has often been popularly referred to as Fogh Rasmussen, or merely Anders Fogh, when not referred to by his full name, mainly to distinguish him from other prominent politicians in the country with the same family name.
He matriculated in languages and social studies from Viborg Cathedral School, in 1969–1972. and studied Economics at the University of Aarhus
University of Aarhus
Aarhus University , located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, is Denmark's second oldest and second largest university...
, graduating in 1978. He has been active in politics most of his life and has authored several books about taxation and government structure. He and his wife Anne-Mette (born 1958) married in 1978 and have three children: Henrik (born 1979), Maria (born 1981) and Christina (born 1984).
As an amateur cyclist, Rasmussen completed part of the notorious Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
stage of the 2008 Tour de France the day after the professional race took place. His attendance at Le Tour was at the invitation of Danish former cyclist Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis , nicknamed The Eagle from Herning , is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team Saxo Bank Sungard...
. Rasmussen is also an avid runner.
Early political career
He has held numerous positions in government and opposition throughout his career, first winning a seat in the FolketingFolketing
The Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
(Danish parliament) in 1978.
Politics
In general, Rasmussen is in favour of centralisation, privatizationPrivatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
, and limiting the size of government.
Rasmussen wrote the book From Social State to Minimal State
From Social State to Minimal State
From Social State to Minimal State is a book written by Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Published in 1993, the future Danish Prime Minister laid out his classical liberal views that Denmark should transition from a welfare state into a low-tax economy, and how he believed it should be done.Rasmussen was a...
in 1993, in which he advocated an extensive reform of the Danish welfare system along classic liberal lines. In particular, he favors lower taxes and less government interference in corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
and individual matters etc. In 1993 he was awarded the Adam Smith award by the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
society Libertas, partly due to him having written From Social State to Minimal State.
Resignation as Minister of Taxation
From 1987 to 1990 he was Minister for Taxation and from 1990 Minister for Economy and Taxation in the Conservative-led Poul SchlüterPoul Schlüter
Poul Holmskov Schlüter is a Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993.Born in Tønder, south Jutland, he graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 1957 with a degree in law, and joined the bar in 1960. Schlüter was a member of the Danish Parliament for the...
government.
In 1992 Rasmussen resigned from his ministerial posts after a report from a commission of inquiry had decided that he had provided the Folketing with inaccurate and incomplete information regarding his decision to postpone payment of several bills from Regnecentralen
Regnecentralen
Regnecentralen, or RC for short, was the first Danish computer company, founded on October 12, 1955. Through the 1950s and 60s they designed a series of computers, originally for their own use, and later to be sold commercially. Descendants of these systems sold well into the 1980s...
and Kommunedata
KMD (company)
KMD develops IT solutions for Danish municipalities and others, and is owned by the municipalities country association .Kommunedata was established in 1972 by a merger of municipal IT centres....
from one accounting year to the next. Rasmussen disagreed with the findings of the commission, but faced with the threat of a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
, he decided to leave his posts voluntarily.
2001 election
His Liberal (VenstreVenstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
) Party won power in the November 2001 election, defeating the Social Democratic government of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen , informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943), was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and is currently President of the Party of European Socialists . He was the leader of the governing Social Democrats from 1992 to 2002...
and enabling him to form his first Cabinet
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I
After the 2001 Danish parliamentary election, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was able form a government coalition of his own Liberal Party Venstreand the Conservative People's Party. It was a minority government with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party. The resulting cabinet is called the...
. That election marked a dramatic change in Danish politics. It was the first time since 1920 that the Social Democratic Party lost its position as the largest party in the Folketing
Folketing
The Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
(parliament), mainly due to a loss of working class votes to Dansk Folkeparti (The Danish People's Party).
Prime Minister of Denmark
Following the 2001 election, Venstre formed a government in a parliamentary coalition with the Conservative People's PartyConservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
to form a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
with the parliamentary support of Dansk Folkeparti. Together these three parties survived both the 2005 election
Danish parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 8 February 2005. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre retained the largest number of seats in parliament. The governing coalition between the Venstre and the Conservative People's Party remained intact, with the Danish People's Party...
and the 2007 election
Danish parliamentary election, 2007
The 66th Folketing election in Denmark was held on 13 November 2007. The election allowed prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to continue for a third term in a coalition government consisting of the Liberals and the Conservative People's Party with parliamentary support from the Danish People's...
.
After becoming Prime Minister, Rasmussen distanced himself from his earlier writings and announced the death of neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
during the national elections of 2005. Commonly regarded as being inspired by the previous success of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Rasmussen now seems more in favour of the theories of Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29...
and his third way
Third way (centrism)
The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...
. There was talk in Libertas of revoking Fogh Rasmussen's award as a result of this, though this never happened.
His government has also enacted tough measures designed to limit the number of immigrants coming to Denmark, specifically as asylumseekers or through arranged marriages. However, the Fogh Rasmussen governments have depended on the support of Dansk Folkeparti, and it is impossible to draw a clear dividing line between the ideology of Fogh Rasmussen and the politics of his government resulting from compromises with Dansk Folkeparti.
Tax reform
After the elections in 2001, Venstre, enacted a total "tax stop," meaning a freeze on any tax increases. Venstre had successfully campaigned by claiming that taxes had been growing constantly during the previous eight years under the Social DemocratsSocial Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
. While the overall tax burden was more or less unchanged from 1993 until 2001 , however, there was a shift in the taxation of income, both corporate and personal over to a higher level on personal consumption (especially through the "ecological taxes" (da. grønne afgifter)), which gave the average citizen the impression of rising taxes.
This "tax stop" was criticized by the parties on the left wing of Danish politics, allegedly for being "antisocial" and "only for the rich." Since the tax stop also froze the tax of real property (da. ejendomsværdiskat, 1%), it was beneficial to homeowners in the densely populated regions that have experienced an extraordinary increase in the prices of real estate. The tax of real estate is actually limited at a nominal level — not at a relative level. While the rate was one percent when the tax stop was enacted, the actual tax is much less today when the last few years' large increase in property value (+20%/p.a. in large cities) is taken into account. The Danish Economic Council has criticized this as unfairly benefiting current homeowners.
Even though the total tax burden was marginally higher in 2005 than it was in 2001, the tax stop was very popular among voters. Thus, in January 2005, the Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
announced that they accepted the principle of a tax stop until at least one right-wing party was willing to participate in a tax reform.
The tax stop has, however, been ineffective, judging by Venstre's own intentions. The goal of the tax stop was to halt the growth of public expenditures (and halt the growth of taxes), but even with their cuts in public spending (which were considered aggressive by the political left wing), public spending continued to rise by approximately one percentage point above inflation each year.
From 2004 and onwards, minor tax cuts came into effect, on two accounts:
- People with jobs got a 3% tax reduction on the 5.5% "bottom tax" (da. bundskat).
- An "employment deduction" (da. beskæftigelsesfradrag) was introduced. This initiative is supposed to encourage people to get off welfare and take jobs instead.
- The bottom limit of the "middle tax" (da. mellemskat) of 6%, is raised by 12.000 DKKDanish kroneThe krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
every year, over the next four years. This was supposed to limit the income stresses of middle incomes and families with children.
In 2009 a major tax reform was implemented. The overall marginal tax rate was reduced by 7.5%. In the end, the top tax rate (topskatten) was not changed, but the income level at which it began was raised. This had the effect of removing 350,000 Danes from the top tax bracket. The medium tax rate was eliminated, and the lowest was reduced by 1.5%. Various other tax reforms were enacted such as an increase in the old age pension, incentives for renovation, and various initiatives designed to improve energy efficiency. Finance Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, called it the biggest reduction in the marginal tax rate since the introduction of income tax in 1903.
Some of the more ambitious elements of the reforms (such as a lowereing of the "top tax" rate) had to be changed or greatly reduced in order to receive the necessary support from the more tax friendly Danish People's Party.
2002 EU Presidency
Rasmussen held the rotating presidency of the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
from July to December 2002 during which period he proved his dedication to a pro-EU agenda and the guiding principles of the Ellemann-Jensen doctrine
Ellemann-Jensen doctrine
The Ellemann-Jensen doctrine is a Danish idea specifically aimed at promoting small countries' ability to gain influence in the world order.The doctrine is not a written document but rather inspired by the former Danish Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen's term of office in which he promoted the...
. He even pursued it to its logical conclusion by publicly denouncing the Danish collaboration policy during its second World War occupation, being the first Danish prime minister ever to do this. While his predecessors may not have been in favour of it, they had all implicitly maintained that it was 'a good thing', because it had saved Danish lives.
During the EU presidency he was involved in a curious episode with then Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
. In a joint press conference on 4 October 2002 Silvio Berlusconi said: "Rasmussen is the most handsome prime minister in Europe. I think I will introduce him to my wife because he is even more handsome than Cacciari". Massimo Cacciari
Massimo Cacciari
Massimo Cacciari is an Italian philosopher and politician.Born in Venice, Massimo Cacciari graduated in philosophy from the University of Padua , where he also received his doctorate, writing a thesis on Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Judgment." In 1985, he became professor of Aesthetics at the...
is an Italian philosopher and centrist politician opposing Berlusconi, and some gossip tabloids had alleged an affair between him and Berlusconi's second wife Veronica Lario
Veronica Lario
Veronica Lario is a former Italian actress, ex wife of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, although she has filed for legal separation, which is the first step towards divorce in Italian law.-Biography:Born in Bologna, Lario was an actress in low budget films...
. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1005001,00.html Rasmussen was puzzled by this remark and Berlusconi quickly told him he'd explain later.
War in Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. As in most European countries he faced considerable opposition, both in the parliament and in the general population. Subsequent opinion polls suggested the Danish population's opinion was split on the issue. One vocal protester managed to get into the Danish parliament during the period before the war, where he poured red paint on the prime minister while yelling "Du har blod på dine hænder" (literally: "You have blood on your hands"). A member of the Danish parliament, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil is a former member of Folketinget for the Red-Green Alliance.-Politics and political career:...
, stated that it was a reaction she might have made under the circumstances, although she has later denounced such threatening behaviour against politicians. Denmark was one of only five countries to take part in the actual invasion operations (the others being the US, UK, Poland and Australia) though the contingent mainly consisted of two minor warships and staff and radio units, that were never involved in actual combat. In the months after the initial phase of the war, Danish troops participated in the multi-national force stationed in Iraq. Approximately 550 Danish troops were stationed in Iraq
Dancon/Irak
Dancon/Irak is short for Danish Contingent/Irak, and was the designated name for the Danish ground contingent deployed to Iraq from June 2003 to July 2007.-History:...
from 2004 and into 2007, first at "Camp Dannevang" and later at "Camp Einherjer", both near Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. When the contingent of troops left around August 2007, it was not replaced and Denmark has shifted its focus to non-military support around Baghdad. The official reason being provided is that the Iraqi government should now be able to handle the security in the Basra area. Critics of Fogh Rasmussen argue that the withdrawal was motivated by a decreasing domestic support for the war.
In 2004 Rasmussen's government came under attack based on questions of how much intelligence it had with regard to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
. The government held hearings, and was forced to publish classified reports it had consulted about the likelihood of banned weapons existing in Iraq.
While the Blair and Bush administrations have been the subject of criticism for extended periods because of their reliance on questionable intelligence, Rasmussen has managed to stay clear of this potential government crisis. This is probably largely because the motion passed by parliament (Folketinget) authorising the deployment of Danish troops states as the reason for the deployment Iraq's continued refusal to cooperate with UN inspectors in violation of the UN Security Council's resolution. The Danish deployment of troops was thus not formally based on a claim that Iraq had WMD's.
In a comment to the media Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated as one of the reasons to support a military intervention, "Irak har masseødelæggelsesvåben. Det er ikke noget vi tror. Vi ved det. Irak har selv indrømmet, at det har haft sennepsgas, nervegas, miltbrand, men Saddam vil ikke afregne. Han vil ikke fortælle os, hvor og hvordan de våben er blevet destrueret. Det ved vi fra FN's inspektører, så der er ingen tvivl i mit sind." (In English: "Iraq has WMDs. It is not something we think, it is something we know. Iraq has itself admitted that it has had mustard gas, nerve gas, anthrax, but Saddam won't disclose. He won't tell us where and how these weapons have been destroyed. We know this from the UN inspectors, so there is no doubt in my mind.").
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service
Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service , is a Danish intelligence agency, responsible for Denmark’s foreign intelligence, as well as being the Danish military intelligence service...
(FE) had produced a classified report stating that it had no absolute proof of WMDs in Iraq. Rasmussen had access to this report and used it in other parts of his decision making. Since the presence of WMDs in Iraq has now been refuted, Rasmussen has focused almost exclusively on the tyrannical nature of Saddam Hussein's regime. A former FE analyst, Major Frank Grevil
Frank Grevil
Frank Søholm Grevil had the rank of major in Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste [FE] .On February 22, 2004 he acted as a whistle blower leaking classified information about the FE's assessment of the possibility of weapons of mass destruction [WMD] in Iraq...
, was sentenced to four months in prison for leaking the information to the press. Grevil argues that Rasmussen has either lied about or misunderstood the content of the secret reports in his presentations to the parliament. During Rasmussen's administrations, Denmark has also deployed troops to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. All three missions have only met minor political opposition. Rasmussen as a prime minister rejected insistent demands from the opposition that there should be investigations into the Denmark's involvement in the Iraq war, similar to the ones in the US and the UK, on the grounds that the his government took arms against Saddam not because of possible arms possessed, but because of Saddam's failure to comply with UN resolutions.
Gay marriage
Civil unionCivil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s between gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
couples have been legal in Denmark since 1989. In January 2004, Rasmussen stated his belief that homosexuals should be able to be married in religious ceremonies, which is not currently allowed in the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Denmark
Church of Denmark
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Church of Denmark or Danish National Church, is the state church and largest denomination in Denmark and Greenland...
, but he has said it should be up to religious communities to decide whether to perform ceremonies for gay couples.
2005 election
On 18 January 2005 Rasmussen called an electionDanish parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 8 February 2005. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre retained the largest number of seats in parliament. The governing coalition between the Venstre and the Conservative People's Party remained intact, with the Danish People's Party...
for 8 February 2005. He delayed the call by a couple of weeks because of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
which killed several Danes. His government had been criticized by a few Danes for what they thought was a slow response to that crisis, although a clear majority applauded the government's way of dealing with the disaster.
Although his party's support was reduced from the 2001 election, resulting in the loss of four seats, Venstre was able to maintain its coalition after the election through gains by other parties, and on 18 February Rasmussen formed the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen retained his parliamentary support in the 2005 Danish parliamentary election, and was able to continue as head of his government. On 18 February 2005, he presented his updated cabinet, the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II...
.
Rasmussen received the most "personal votes" ever of any politician in the Folketing (Denmark's Parliament) with 61,792.
Muhammad cartoons and Danish goods boycott
A major period of conflict in Rasmussen's political career concerned a set of cartoons printed in Jyllands-PostenJyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
, a major Danish newspaper. In September 2005 the newspaper printed a full page with 12 cartoons depicting various interpretations of Muhammad, including one in which Muhammad appeared with a bomb in his turban. Some of the schools of the Islamic religion do not allow depiction of the figure of Mohammed. Many Muslims found the cartoons offensive. Rasmussen denied a request from 11 ambassadors of Middle-Eastern countries to discuss the issue. Rasmussen has described the controversy as Denmark's worst international crisis since World War II. He was quoted, saying, later, that he "was deeply distressed that the cartoons were seen by some Muslims as an attempt by Denmark to mark and insult or behave disrespectfully towards Islam or Mohammed."
Municipal reform
One of the main initiatives of Rasmussen's government was the introduction of a municipal reform, the aim of which was the geographic and administrative consolidation of smaller municipalities, and the abolishment of counties. Major areas of public services, such as the national health service was in turn consolidated into five regional bodies, while the number of municipalities was reduced from 271 to 98. The reform was ratified on 16 June 2005 and was effective as of 1 January 2007.2007 election
At 11:30 pm on 13 November 2007, the day of the electionDanish parliamentary election, 2007
The 66th Folketing election in Denmark was held on 13 November 2007. The election allowed prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to continue for a third term in a coalition government consisting of the Liberals and the Conservative People's Party with parliamentary support from the Danish People's...
, Anders Fogh Rasmussen claimed victory on the basis of almost complete results. By the morning of 14 November 2007, after results came through from the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Fogh Rasmussen's centre-right coalition of the Liberals
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
, the Conservative People's Party
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
and the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
had obtained the 90 seats required for him to continue as Prime Minister, making him the longest-ruling Liberal Prime Minister of Denmark.
Resignation
After being confirmed as the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that he would resign as Prime Minister of Denmark on 5 April 2009.NATO Secretary General
Shortly following his second reelection in 2007, rumours began to spread in the Danish media that Rasmussen was a candidate for several high-profiled international jobs. At first rumour had it that he was informally one of the top candidates for the new position of President of the EU, which could be created when the Lisbon Treaty would come in to effect. Following the Irish rejection of the treaty in June 2008, it became obvious that this position would not be created in the near future, and so the talk in the Danish media began to revolve around Rasmussen's candidacy to the position of Secretary General of NATO. In winter and spring of 2009, fueled by Rasmussen's frequent travelling, these rumours intensified. Rasmussen denied being a candidate for any international position up until a few days before the official announcement of his selection was made.Anders Fogh Rasmussen became the 12th NATO Secretary General on 1 August 2009, succeeding Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as the 11th Secretary General of NATO from January 5, 2004 until August 1, 2009....
, who held the post from 2004 until 2009. The announcement was made on 4 April 2009, at the 2009 Strasbourg–Kehl summit in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. During the final selection process only one country, Turkey, remained opposed to Rasmussen's candidacy, partly because of his handling of the cartoon episode
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
in 2005, when the publication in some Danish newspapers of cartoons of Muhammad caused violent protests. Another major point of Turkey's opposition was Denmark's tolerance of Roj TV
Roj TV
Roj TV is an international Kurdish satellite television station broadcasting programmes in the Kurmanji, Sorani and Hewrami dialects of the Kurdish language as well as in Zaza, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish.-Programming:...
, which is claimed by the Turkish government to be a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers Party
Kurdistan Workers Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
(PKK). Eventually, Turkey withdrew its opposition to Rasmussen's appointment when it received assurances from US president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
that Turkish officials would be appointed to three high posts in NATO.
After taking up his duty as NATO Secretary General on 1 August 2009, Rasmussen's first mission was a visit to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, where he met with President Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
and senior Afghan ministers, including Minister for Foreign Affairs Spanta
Rangin Dadfar Spanta
Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta was the foreign minister of Afghanistan.He was appointed to that position by Hamid Karzai during a cabinet reshuffle on March 21, 2006 and approved by the 249-seat lower house on April 20, 2006. He was previously the Senior Advisor on International Affairs to President...
, Minister for Defence General Wardak, and Minister of Interior Atmar to discuss the then impending presidential and provincial council elections
Afghan presidential election, 2009
The 2009 presidential election in Afghanistan was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud....
in the country.
In April, 2011, in relation to the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
Rasmussen said that on the day NATO started
2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
taking command
Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the 2011 Libyan civil war and adopted on 17 February and 17 March respectively...
of the mission under the U.N. mandate, the alliance ruled out arming the rebels. Rasmussen said the coalition under his control was clear about its mission. "We are not in Libya to arm people. We are in Libya to protect civilians against attacks" from loyalists of the country's Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
government, he said at that time.
In October 2011, the intensive 7-month NATO intervention had "now moved much closer" to its end, according to Rasmussen. The last two major outposts of Gaddafi loyalists -- Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte
Sirte
Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast...
and the town of Bani Walid
Bani Walid
Bani Walid or Ben Walid, prior to 2007, was one of the districts of Libya. In the 2007 administrative reorganization the territory formerly in Bani Walid District was transferred to Misrata District.Bani Walid bordered the following districts:...
-- had fallen and the deposed leader had been killed
Death of Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed leader of Libya, died on 20 October 2011 during the 2011 Libyan civil war. Gaddafi was captured alive after his convoy was attacked by NATO warplanes as Sirte fell on 20 October 2011. He was then beaten and killed by NTC forces...
as he tried to flee from Sirte toward Misrata. Gaddafi's killing came with close NATO aerial support of Libyan ground forces.
Honors
- Medal of Merit in Gold on 17 December 2002.
- Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog on 7 April 2009.
Filmography
- Fogh bag facaden, 58 min., Danish documentary, by Christoffer Guldbrandsen, 2003, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368219/
- Den hemmelige krig, 58 min., Danish documentary, by Christoffer Guldbrandsen, 2006, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038968/
- AFR, 83 min., Danish mockumentary, by Morten Hartz Kaplers, 2007, AFR (film)AFR (film)AFR is a Danish fictional documentary released in 2007, directed by Danish filmmaker Morten Hartz Kaplers, who also appears in the movie...
- CIA's danske forbindelse, by Mette Aaby, 2008, http://www.dr.dk/DR1/Dokumentar/2008/0124145625.htm
See also
- Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen ICabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen IAfter the 2001 Danish parliamentary election, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was able form a government coalition of his own Liberal Party Venstreand the Conservative People's Party. It was a minority government with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party. The resulting cabinet is called the...
- Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen IICabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen IIPrime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen retained his parliamentary support in the 2005 Danish parliamentary election, and was able to continue as head of his government. On 18 February 2005, he presented his updated cabinet, the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II...
- Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen IIICabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen IIIThe third Cabinet of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was announced on November 23, 2007.-Changes from the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II:...
- List of Prime Ministers of Denmark
- Politics of DenmarkPolitics of DenmarkThe Politics of Denmark takes place in a framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
External links
Video Blog of the NATO Secretary General Facebook page of Anders Fogh Rasmussen Twitter account of the NATO Secretary General|-
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