Know Your Current World Leaders: You Should Know (Easy Version)

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Mr. Blair stood down Wed., June 27th, handing power to the newly-elected chairman of the Labour Party.

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The first female chancellor of Germany and already a very important person on the world stage. With a doctorate in physical chemistry. Not too bad.

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"Work More to Earn More." Who knew that'd be a winning slogan! Candidate of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (or UMP), the Center-Right French political party, the current president was the interior minister of previous president Jacque Chirac. Many were impressed by his thorough campaign strategy and ability to differentiate himself from a president who had lost popularity and become a symbol of the past.

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Having been Prime Minister of Italy from 1996-1998 and forced out when part of his coalition withdrew support, Italy's prime minister resumed the role in 2006, after serving 5 years as President of the European Commission.

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A Socialist, he took power in 2004 (Full name Jose Luiz Rodríguez ______). Making the domestic agenda a key to his premiership, Italy's PM came to power in the wake of the Madrid train bombings, the handling of which many believe helped deliver victory to the contesting Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.

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Japan's PM has only held this role since September 2006. A nationalist seen as strong of defense and taking a hard line against North Korea, his grandfather was once PM and father once foreign minister.

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It is impossible to separate China's leadership with its historic economic growth. And under its current president, that growth has only intensified. He has promoted this growth while attempting to strengthen world relations, address poverty in China, start going "green" and promote transparency in government. An opening market has led to several reforms, such as official private property ownership, but human rights abuses are still an issue.

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A hotly contested election. Supporters of rival left-wing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are probably still protesting. While the current president was the preferred candidate of the United States and many Mexican power players, many of the poorer workers had pinned their hopes on Obrador and felt that the elections were unfairly conducted, have been won by 1/2 a percentage point. After assuming office, the president took steps to consoliderate and conciliate the opposition.

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Prime Minister since 1996 and still going strong. Talk of his standing down was proven premature. One of a wave of conservative candidates winning power in western countries, he advanced a platfrom of tax-cutting, trimming government and maintaining a strong national security stance

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Prime Minister since 1996, and the first ever from the Conservative Party of Canada, which he helped to create by merging two right-of-center parties. An advocate of increased government accountability, he was the first Canadian PM to visit the front lines.

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No explanation needed. I suppose brother, Raul, is also an acceptable answer.

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He presides over a country starting to boom economically due to oil revenues and increasing technological capability. He has sought to increase Russia's influence on the world stage. This, and questions about anti-democratic practices in Russia, has led to several tiffs with other world leaders. Still, he enjoys immense popularity at home: after 8 years, his approval rating is well over 70%.

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One of the most fascinating people on the international scene; not everyone calls President Bush, "the devil", at a UN meeting. Earlier in his career, he attempted to kidnap the Venezuelan president. Jointly seeking to provide assistance to the poor and subsume private industries under state control, he wants to redistribute wealth in Venezuela. Frequent tinkering with legislative structures, he is greatly concerned with perceived coup threats and believes the United States is trying to undermine his regime. He has helped reduce poverty among the lowest segment of Venezuelans.

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The most powerful and polarizing world figure in recent history, he has played the main role in redrawing the democratic map. He has made the fight against terrorism a worldwide issue, and at least two new democracies hang in the balance.