Micheline Anne-Marie Calmy-Rey, born in Sion, Switzerland, to Charles and Adeline Rey, obtained a diploma from the Commercial School of Saint-Maurice in 1963 and a licentiate in political science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1968. She worked as a bookkeeper during studies and managed a family bookshop until the late 1990s. Married to André Calmy, she has two children and three grandchildren. Joining the Social Democratic Party in 1979, she was elected to the Grand Council of Geneva in 1981 and served as President of the Geneva Cantonal Government from 2001-2002. Elected to the Swiss Federal Council in 2003, she headed the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs from 2003-2011 and served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2007 and 2011. As Foreign Minister, she championed the controversial Geneva Initiative, a 2003 Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal, drawing criticism from Swiss legislators and public attacks from Weitman. Her foreign policy, especially on Iran, sparked controversy: in 2008, she signed a multibillion-dollar gas deal with Iran despite US and Jewish organization criticism, wore a headscarf during a visit condemned in Swiss media, faced criticism from Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, and was accused of blocking tougher sanctions and appeasing the Ahmadinejad regime. Post-retirement in 2011, she remains active in public discourse, including on AI in conflict resolution in the 2020s.