Stephen Harper

Prime Minister
Canada

This is a big year on the global stage for Canada's Conservative Prime Minister, who has been in office since 2006. On Jan. 28 he made his Davos debut with a speech highlighting Canada's stability and moderate financial regulation, which he says helped it get through the downturn in better shape than many other countries. In June, Harper will play host to two global summits: a meeting of the Group of Eight industrial nations in Muskoka, Ontario, followed by the larger G-20 in Toronto. But he also faces declining popularity at home, including protests over his decision to prorogue, or suspend, Canada's Parliament until after the Vancouver Olympics.