“Politics” translated from Greek is the art of government. It is art, like painting or ballet! Therefore, a great politician is akin to a brilliant artist or director, and such people are rarely born. A good half of them are monarchs, from Ramesses the Great to Peter I. After all, from the era of the first states until the First World War, monarchy in Asia and Europe was the predominant form of government. There are quite a few people in the book who are called dictators; for the most part, they were also outstanding commanders. But political diplomats received worldwide recognition only in the 19th century: Talleyrand and Bismarck, Woodrow Wilson and Charles de Gaulle...