AGE: 56
OCCUPATION: Prime Minister of Russia
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2
PRO: His steely-eyed fondness for Cold War–era diplomacy led to the invasion of Georgia and a showdown with the Ukraine over Russian-controlled gas lines.
CON: Anti-Putin protests are mounting, thanks in part to the country's economic mess. And, as if you needed further proof that he's the world's most powerful '70s nostalgist, Putin recently hired an ABBA tribute band to play a private gig.