GORDON BROWN

AGE: 56
OCCUPATION: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1

PRO: After waiting nearly a decade, Brown finally succeeded Tony Blair, his political teammate and, over time, his political obstacle. He promised a break with Blair's unpopular support for the Bush foreign policy agenda.

CON: Support for the Labour Party has sunk to its lowest point in 25 years, according to one recent poll. And Brown's desperate decision to nationalize imploding Northern Rock bank didn't exactly restore investor confidence: many analysts see Britain tipping into its own credit crisis.