National Security
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DEBATE PREP | FEBRUARY 2013
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide
By Mieke Eoyang and Julie Zelnick
This guide lists the names, titles, and pronunciations of a wide range of foreign political leaders
in the following regions.1
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Africa
Asia
Australia/Oceania
Europe
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Middle East
North America/Central America
South America
Multinational Organizations
AF R ICA
Egypt
Morocco
President: Mohammed Morsi
Head of State: King Mohammed VI (mow-HAH-mehd MOOR-see)
(moh-HAH-mehd)
Since: June 30, 2012
Since: July 23, 1999
Kenya
President: Mwai Kibaki (m-W-EYE kee-BAH-kee)
Nigeria
President: Goodluck Jonathan
Since: March 9, 2010
Since: December 20, 2002
Rwanda
Prime Minister: Raila Amolo Odinga President: Paul Kagame (rah-EE-lah oh-DIHN-gah)
(Pahl kah-GAH-meh)
Since: April 17, 2008
Since: March 24, 2000
Libya
South Africa
President:
Mohammed Magariaf
President: Jacob Zuma
(mow-HAH-mehd mee-GAHR-yeef)
(JAY-khub ZOO-mah)
Since: August 10, 2012
Since: May 9, 2009
South Sudan
Zimbabwe
President: Salva Kiir President: Robert Mugabe (SAHL-vah KEER)
(RAH-behrt moo-GAH-beh)
Since: July 9, 2011
Since: December 31, 1987
Sudan
Prime Minister:
Morgan Tsvangirai President: Omar al-Bashir (OH-mahr ehl bah-SHEER)
Since: June 30, 1989
(MOHR-ghehn CHAHN-gihr-EYE)
Since: February 11, 2009
Afghanistan
President: Hamid Karzai (haw-MIHD Kahrz-EYE)
Since: December 7, 2004
A S IA
Burma
Indonesia
President: Thein Sein
President: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
(THAYN-SAYN)
(soo-SEE-loh BAHM-BAHNG YOOdoh-YOH-noh)
Since: March 30, 2011
Member, Burmese House of Reps.
and Human Rights Activist:
Aung San Suu Kyi (AWNG SAN SOO CHEE)
Since: May 2, 2012
Since: August 20, 2004
Japan
Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe
(SHEEN-ZOE ah-bay)
China
Since: December 26, 2012
President: Xi Jinping
Emperor: Akihito (SHEE JEEN-PEENG)
(ah-kee-HEE-toh)
Since: March 2013 (expected)
Since: January 7, 1989
Premier:
Le Keqiang
North Korea
(LEE KUH-CHAHNG)
Supreme Commander of the Korean
People’s Army: Since: March 2013 (expected)
Kim Jong Un
India
(KIHM JAWNG-UHN)
Prime Minister: Manmohan Singh Since: April 11, 2012
(mahn-MOH-hahn SIHNG)
Since: May 19, 2004
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 2 Pakistan
South Korea
Prime Minister: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
President: Park Geun-hye
(RAH-JAH pehr-VAYZ ahsh-RAHF)
(PAHK GOON-heh)
Since: June 22, 2012
Since: February 25, 2013
President:
Asif Ali Zardari
Taiwan
(AH-sihf AH-lee zahr-DAH-ree)
Since: September 9, 2008
Chief of Army Staff: Gen. Ashfaq Kayani President: Ma Ying-jeou (MAH YEENG JOH)
Since: May 20, 2008
(AHSH-fahk kah-AH-nee)
Since: November 29, 2007
AUS T R A L IA/ OCEAN IA
Australia
New Zealand
Prime Minister: Julia Gillard Prime Minister:
John Key
(JOOL-yah GIH-lahrd)
Since: November 19, 2008
Since: June 24, 2010
E U ROP E
France
Greece
President: Francois Hollande
Prime Minister: Antonis Samaras
(frahn-SWAH oh-LAHN-deh)
(ahn-TOH-nees sah-mah-RAHS)
Since: May 15, 2012
Since: June 20, 2012
Germany
Ireland
Chancellor: Angela Merkel Prime Minister: Enda Kenny (ahn-GAY-lah M-AIR-kl)
(EHN-dah KEH-nee)
Since: November 22, 2005
Since: March 9, 2011
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 3 Italy
United Kingdom
Prime Minister:
Mario Monti
Prime Minister:
David Cameron
(MAHR-yoh MAWN-tee)
(DAY-vihd KAM-uh-ruhn)
Since: November 16, 2011
Since: May 11, 2010
Russia
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II2
President: Vladimir Putin Since: June 2, 1953
(vlah-DEE-meer POO-tihn) Since: May 7, 2012
Spain
Prime Minister:
Mariano Rajoy
(mah-ree-AH-noh rah-HOY)
Since: December 21, 2011
Head of State: King Juan Carlos I (HWAHN KAHR-lohss)
Since: November 22, 1975
MIDDLE EAST
Bahrain
Iran
King: Hamad
Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
(HAH-mahd)
(eye-ah-toh-LAH ah-LEE hah-mehn-a-EE)
Since: March 6, 1999
Since: June 4, 1989
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (mah-MOOD ahh-mah-dee-neeZHAHD)
Since: August 3, 2005
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 4 Iraq
Palestinian Authority
President: Jalal Talabani
President of the PA: Mahmud Abbas (jah-LAHL tah-lah-BAH-nee)
(mah-MOOD ah-BAHSS)
Since: April 7, 2005
Since: January 15, 2005
Prime Minister: Nuri Kamil al-Maliki
Saudi Arabia
(NOOR-ee KAM-ihl al MAL-ih-kee)
Since: May 20, 2006
Head of State:
King Abdullah
(ahb-DUHL-lah)
Israel
Since: August 1, 2005
President: Shimon Peres Syria
(shee-MOHN PEH-rehs)
Since: July 15, 2007
Prime Minister: Binyamin Netanyahu President: Bashar al-Assad (bah-SHAHR ahl AH-sahd)
Since: July 17, 2000
(behn-yah-MEEN neht-an-YAH-hoo)
Turkey
Since: March 31, 2009
Prime Minister:
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Defense Minister:
Ehud Barak
(reh- JEHP t-eye-YIHP ERR-doh-ahn)
(eh-HOO- D bah-RAHK)
Since: March 14, 2003
Since: March 28, 2007
Jordan
Head of State: King Abdullah II (ahb-DUHL-lah)
Since: February 7, 1999
Yemen
President: Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
(AH-bd RAH-boh mahn-SOOR ahlHAD-ee)
Since: November 23, 2011
Lebanon
President: Michel Suleiman (mee-SHELL soo-lay-MAHN)
Since: May 25, 2008
Hezbollah leader: Hassan Nasrallah (HAH-sahn nahs-RAH-lah)
Since: February 16, 1992
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 5 NORT H /CEN TRAL AMER I C A
Canada
Mexico
Prime Minister:
Stephen Harper
President: Enrique Peña Nieto
(STEE-fehn HAR-pur)
(ehn-REE-kay PAYN-yah nee-EH-toh)
Since: February 6, 2006
Since: July 2, 2012
Cuba
Nicaragua
President: Raúl Castro President:
Daniel Ortega
(rah-OOL KASS-troh)
(dahn-YEHL ohr-TAY-gah)
Since: April 19, 2011
Since: January 10, 2007
S OUT H AMERICA
Argentina
Colombia
President: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
President: Juan Manuel Santos (krihs-TEE-nah fehr-NAHN-dehs day
KEERCH-nehr)
(HWAHN mahn-WEHL SAHN-tohs)
Since: December 10, 2007
Since: August 7, 2010
Bolivia
President:
Evo Morales
(E-voh moh-RAH-lays)
Peru
President: Ollanta Moises Humala (oh-YAHN-tah oo-MAH-lah)
Since: July 28, 2011
Since: January 22, 2006
Brazil
President:
Dilma Rousseff (JEEL-mah ROO-sehf)
Since: January 1, 2011
Venezuela
President: Hugo Chávez (OO-goh CHAH-vehs)
Since: February 2, 1999
Chile
President: Sebastian Pinera (seh-bahst-YEHN peen-YEH-rah)
Since: March 11, 2010
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 6 MU LT I NATION AL ORGA N I ZATI O N S
European Union
United Nations
President, European Council:
Herman Van Rompuy
Secretary General:
Ban Ki-Moon (HER-mahn fuhn- ROOM-p-eye)
(BAHN GHEE MOON)
Since: December 1, 2009
Since: January 1, 2007
International Monetary Fund
World Bank
Managing Director:
Christine Lagarde
President:
Jim Yong Kim
(krihss-TEEN lah-GAHRD)
(JIHM YAWNG KIHM)
Since: July 5, 2011
Since: July 1, 2012
NATO
Secretary-General:
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
(ANN-dehrs FOH RASS-muh-sehn)
Since: August 1, 2009
E NDNOTES
1 This is not a comprehensive list. The names and titles are from the CIA World Factbook and recent media sources.
Pronunciations are from the Voice of America pronunciation guide.
2 Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of 15 Commonwealth countries including: Australia, New Zealand, Canada,
Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Belize, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, the Solomon
Islands, Tuvalu, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Papua New Guinea.
World Leaders: A Pronunciation Guide 7