Person of the Year 2007

His final year as Russia's President has been his most successful yet. At home, he secured his political future. Abroad, he expanded his outsize—if not always benign—influence on global affairs

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Burmese Monks

Monks march through Yangon city Burma Myanmar

Reuters

The military despots of Burma know a lot about raw power, but for a few hopeful days their tyranny was exposed by unarmed men in cinnamon-colored robes. An uprising of monks took to the streets to demand liberty as news of their courage spread via the internet. And though the army quelled the protest with beatings, arrests, and an online crackdown, the world absorbed a timely reminder of the power of moral authority.

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