The 2008 TIME 100 Finalists
Read about the leaders, artists, enterpreneurs and thinkers who, in your opinion, deserve a spot on this year's TIME 100 —Scott Brown and Michelle Kung
AGE: 55
OCCUPATION: Former President of the Russian Federation, current
shadow-President of the Russian Federation
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 1
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2
PRO: During his seven-plus years in the Kremlin, Putin brought much-needed stability to oligarch-bedeviled Russia, along with petro-wealth, prestige, international clout...
CON: ...media censorship, bare-knuckled eradication of political dissent, economic nationalization, and a penchant for turning off the oil tap whenever a former Soviet satellite (Ukraine, Belarus) leans West. There's also the small matter of Putin's proudly dynastic thrall over Dmitri Medvedev, his hand-picked successor. And Putin foes tend to cultivate a taste for exotic radioactive isotopes — and lead.
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