Jacques Chirac

French politician

France's most charming political survivor spent twelve years running the country and nearly two decades before that as Paris's beloved mayor—a man who could oppose the Iraq War with a Gallic shrug while making it look effortlessly stylish. At 86, Chirac has traded the Élysée Palace for a quieter life, though his legendary appetite for good food, fine wine, and the occasional Corona has kept observers wondering how much mileage remains on this political classic. Few leaders have managed to be simultaneously so powerful and so genuinely likeable.