Ideas worth spreading

A complicated hero in the war on dictatorship

619,263 views |

Samantha Power |

TED2008

• February 2008

Would you negotiate with someone you knew to be evil, to save lives? Samantha Power tells a story of a complicated hero, Sergio Vieira de Mello. This UN diplomat walked a thin moral line, negotiating with the world's worst dictators to help their people survive crisis. It's a compelling story told with a fiery passion.

Would you negotiate with someone you knew to be evil, to save lives? Samantha Power tells a story of a complicated hero, Sergio Vieira de Mello. This UN diplomat walked a thin moral line, negotiating with the world's worst dictators to help their people survive crisis. It's a compelling story told with a fiery passion.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Samantha Power

Political scientist and journalist

See speaker profile

Samantha Power studies US foreign policy, especially as it relates to war and human rights. Her books take on the world's worst problems: genocide, civil war and brutal dictatorships.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.