AGE: 83
OCCUPATION: President of Zimbabwe
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0
PRO: Ever since Zimbabweans rejected his bid to extend his term in 2000, Mugabe has overseen an increasingly violent crackdown on his opposition, the press and Zimbabwe's democratic institutions in general. Thanks to his kleptocratic rule, Zimbabwe, once a gem in a troubled neighborhood, is today a nation in ruins.
CON: Under Mugabe's rule, white-owned land has been seized without remuneration, life expectancy has dropped to among the lowest in the world, and inflation is increasing at four-digit rates. He refuses to step down voluntarily, despite pressure from within his own party. But his days are almost certainly numbered.