Hu Jintao

Chinese President

He is the political leader of 1.3 billion Chinese, the largest population on the planet. China is the biggest buyer of U.S. debt …

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iranian President

He won a landslide victory in the June general election this year, securing a second term …

Catherine Ashton

EU's Foreign Policy Chief

Britain's EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton was chosen as EU's foreign policy chief on November 19.

Omar al-Bashir

Sudanese President

The violent struggles during his presidency in the Darfur regions left over 2.5 million people displaced …

Silvio Berlusconi

Italian Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Italy also media monopolist: owns three television networks outright, controls three others through the state …

Gordon Brown

British Prime Minister

The current Prime Minister of the UK took a lead among European leaders in setting a course for economic recovery …

Fidel Castro

Former President of the Council of State of Cuba

Castro is perhaps the most charismatic and controversial head of state in modern times …

Hugo Chavez

Venezuelan President

His reform has sparked heated argument, drawing praise and criticism from both home and abroad …

Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State

The most successful female presidential candidate in American history became the current Secretary of State in U.S. ...

Muammar al-Gaddafi

Libyan President

The former "lion of the desert" softened his attitude towards the international community …

Saad Hariri

Lebanese Prime Minister

The son of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, has emerged as Lebanon's most prominent political figure …

Yukio Hatoyama

Japanese Prime Minister

Japan's newly elected prime minister won commanding victory over 50-year incumbent party …

Hamid Karzai

Afghan President

After the 2004 presidential election, Karzai won and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan …

Mahmoud Abbas

President of the Palestinian National Authority

He is a veteran of the Palestinian struggle for statehood...

Kim Jong Il

Leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea

DPRK has come under the spotlight for its repeated nuclear tests …

Nuri Kamal al-Maliki

Iraqi Prime Minister

He demanded withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq cities, called for national reconciliation …

Dmitry Medvedev

Russian President

Medvedev has urged more political competition in Russia, calling for democracy and freedom, and strict laws on …

Angela Merkel

German Chancellor

The German chancellor has for the fourth year running topped U.S. magazine Forbes' list of the women …

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister

Second-term hawk insists he's committed to permanent Palestinian peace treaty...

Barack Obama

U.S. President

He presides over world's largest, most innovative, most dynamic economy; he is the commander-in-chief of planet's richest …

Vladimir Putin

Russian Prime Minister

The powerful Russian prime minister crafted government policy aimed at easing the economic crisis …

Kevin Rudd

Australian Prime Minister

Challenged by the sluggish job market in Australia, Kevin Rudd admitted that 2009 …

Nicolas Sarkozy

French President

He called for clean government, deficit reduction and free markets, and his economic stimulus packages…

Manmohan Singh

Indian Prime Minister

Soft-spoken economist won landslide re-election victory despite sharp slowdown and poverty…

Thaksin Shinawatra

Former Thai Prime Minister

Former prime minister ousted in 2006 coup. Thai authorities froze more than 2 billion...

Herman Van Rompuy

Belgian Prime Minister and first EU President

Herman Van Rompuy was unanimously elected as the first full-time president of the EU…

Manuel Zelaya

Ousted Honduran President

The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis is an ongoing political dispute over plans …