GEN. SONTHI BOONYARATGLIN

AGE: 60
OCCUPATION: Leader of Thailand's military government
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Chief of the armed forces who launched a coup in September with the blessing of the king. He is rewriting the constitution, which analysts fear just might extend his tenure at the top.

CON: Juntas are so 20th century, and Thailand, although dealing with its own Islamist insurgency, has little of the geopolitical significance of say, Pakistan, another country run by a de facto military dictator. And the political parties Boonyaratglin has sidelined aren't taking their marginalization quietly.