FOR 12 years, Mohammed Mostafa el-Baradei caught the world’s attention. As director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he visited installations in parts of the world suspected of producing nuclear weapons. He also appeared in a number of seminars where he stressed the importance of a world free of nuclear threat.

His talent for diplomacy has convinced members of the IAEA that his term should be extended to 2009, a post he has h