Who's Who Among Government Leaders: Meet 20 leaders who are making headlines around the world. (People).

The Americas

UNITED STATES 

George W. Bush, 55, became the 43rd U.S. President on January 20. He is the second President in 112 years to win the Presidency after losing the popular vote. He also is the second President (John Quincy Adams was the first) to have a father who served as President (George H.W. Bush, 1989-1993). Before becoming President, George W. Bush was Governor of Texas. He has a master's degree in business from Harvard University He also has run a small oil company and been part-owner of a baseball team. A Republican Bush persuaded Congress to pass a massive tax cut within months of gaining the Presidency. His biggest challenge ahead may be dealing with the threat of terrorism.

MEXICO

Vicente Fox, 59, became Mexico's President on December 1, 2000, ending more than 70 years of control by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Fox, leader of the National Action Party (PAN), and the former head of Coca-Cola Mexico, came to the U.S. in September to meet with President Bush. Fox asked for help in developing Mexico's economy. He also asked that more Mexicans be allowed to work in the U.S. Among the many challenges Fox faces are poverty curbing the drug trade, and dealing with an uprising by native Indians.

CANADA

Jean Chretien (zhahn kray-TYEHN), 67, became Prime Minister in 1993. His Liberal Party won re-election in November 2000. Chretien grew up in the French-speaking province of Quebec. Many people there want the province to become an independent country. But Quebec's voters turned down the idea in a 1995 vote. Canada's economy has been boosted by strong prices for oil, which Canada exports. Some Canadians worry that the Liberal Party, which has ruled Canada for 70 of the past 100 years, is too powerful. But others say that because each Canadian province has a considerable amount of power, that is not a problem.

CUBA

Fidel Castro, 75, has ruled Cuba since 1959, when he ousted a corrupt dictator. Castro set up a Communist government, seizing privately-owned land and industry. His government improved education and health, but also jailed political opponents. Many Cubans fled the country The U.S. broke off ties with Cuba and imposed a trade boycott. Despite the boycott, Castro shows few signs of allowing more political freedom. Still, some members of the U.S. Congress want to lift the ban on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens, saying the boycott doesn't work.

PERU 

Alejandro Toledo, 55, once worked as a shoeshine boy. But last July, he became Peru's President. Toledo is the first cholo (native Indian) to rule Peru in the last 500 years. An economist, Toledo has promised to try to lift the great majority of Peru's people out of poverty and jumpstart the stalled economy. "I hope his government will be as crystal clear as the water of truth, because we're fed up with so much turmoil," said one Peruvian. Peru's former President, Alberto Fujimori, fled to his homeland, Japan, after being accused of corruption.

Africa

NIGERIA

Olusegun Obasanjo (oh-LOO-say-goon oh-BAH-san-jo), 63, became Nigeria's first freely-elected President in 1999, after many years of military control. Military dictators squandered Nigeria's huge oil reserves. Today, Nigeria faces major fuel shortages, and most Nigerians are poor. Obesanjo must deal with violence between ethnic groups. AIDS is another problem--it has reduced average life expectancy in Nigeria by 25 years. Despite these problems, Nigeria is a relatively stable country in a troubled region.

ZIMBABWE

Robert Mugabe, 77, became Zimbabwe's first President in 1980. Once known as the "Jewel of Africa," Zimbabwe now faces food shortages and economic problems. Mugabe has come under international criticism for trying to seize 4,600 farms from white owners without paying for them. Mugabe says that it is unfair for white farmers to own such a large percentage of Zimbabwe's best farmland. Mugabe is also criticized because militants in his party have attacked white farmers. Recently, Mugabe agreed to drop his policy of seizing farms in exchange for aid from foreign countries.

SOUTH AFRICA

Thabo Mbeki (TAH-boh m-BECK-ee), 59, became South Africa's President in 1999. Mbeki, who belongs to the African National Congress Party (ANC), faces many challenges. The value of the rand, South Africa's currency, has fallen. South Africa has a high crime rate, and 11 percent of the population suffers from AIDS. Mbeki has been criticized for not doing more to get medicine to AIDS victims. On the other hand, Mbeki has worked to encourage South Africans of all races to work together. South Africa hosted a United Nations conference on racism in September.

Europe

FRANCE 

Jacques Chirac (zhahk shee-rock), 68, became the President of France in 1995. As a student, Chirac studied at Harvard University in Massachusetts. One of the problems facing France is whether to give the French island of Corsica more political independence. Chirac is under investigation for several scandals, including where he got the money to pay for expensive vacations he took when he was the mayor of Paris. The conservative President says the charges are motivated by politics. There will be a new presidential election in 2002.

GERMANY

Gerhard Schroeder (also spelled Schroder), 57, became Germany's Chancellor in 1998. Since that time, Germany has moved its capital from Bonn to Berlin and joined other European countries in adopting a common currency called the euro. Schroeder's party has lost popularity in recent months as he struggles to improve Germany's weakening economy. Schroeder said that the problem of hate crimes "must be addressed." In the first six months of 2001, police recorded 7,729 such crimes.

UNITED KINGDOM

Tony Blair, 48, became Prime Minister after the Labour Party won parliamentary elections in 1997. He was reelected by a landslide margin in 2001. This year, Blair has had to deal with a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain. This required the slaughter of more than 5.1 million sheep, cows and pigs. Blair also has to deal with increased violence in Northern Ireland. In his student days, Blair was the lead singer of a rock band. Now he is the father of four children.

RUSSIA

Vladimir Putin, 49, became Russia's second President in 2000. Before that, this martial arts expert was Russia's Prime Minister. A former spy and head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Putin must deal with Russia's many problems, including an epidemic of drugs, gangs, and violence. Putin also is worried about U.S. plans to pull out of a major arms control treaty. Recently, Putin joined in with other Russians in commemorating the 10th anniversary of a coup attempt that led to the ending of Communist rule in what is now Russia.

Asia

CHINA

Jiang Zemin (jee-ahng dzuh-meen), 75, was named President by the Communist Party in 1993. The party, which controls China, once owned all businesses and farms. But today, China has more than 1.5 million privately owned companies. China seeks increased trade with the U.S. and will soon join the World Trade Organization. Beijing, China's capital, will host the 2008 Olympic Games. But the U.S. and other countries criticize China for its lack of freedom.

JAPAN

Junichiro Koizumi (JUN-ee-chee-roh KOY-zuh-mee), 59, became Prime Minister in April 2001. He leads Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, which, confusingly, is a conservative party. The long haired Prime Minister calls himself a hanjin--an eccentric. He recently released an album of his favorite Elvis Presley songs. But he is no outsider to Japanese politics. His father and grandfather were both politicians, and Junichiro Koizumi has served 10 terms in Japan's House of Representatives. He won't have an easy time though--Japan's economy is in deep trouble.

INDONESIA

Megawati Sukarnoputri (meg-ah-wah-tee soo-kar-noh-poo-tree), 54, is Indonesia's new President. Megawati's father was President Sukarno, Indonesia's first leader after it gained independence from the Netherlands in 1945. "Mother Mega," as she is called, faces many challenges. The island nation has massive debts and poverty. But Megawati's election, after years of rule by corrupt dictators, has given Indonesians hope.

INDIA

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (ah-TAL bih-har-ee vajh-PIE-ee), 76, has served as India's Prime Minister since 1999. A former journalist, he has been a politician for 50 years. India faces many problems, including widespread poverty among a huge population, which recently passed the 1 billion mark. Tensions remain high between India and neighboring Pakistan over the northern border region of Kashmir.

Middle East

IRAN 

Mohammad Khatami, 58, became Iran's President in 1997. He is a moderate leader in a country that has been run by fundamentalist Islamic clerics (religious leaders) since 1979. Khatami, a cleric himself, has written a number of books. He has worked to bring greater freedom to Iran's citizens. He spoke out recently against the arrest of a filmmaker and against the whipping of people for minor crimes. Khatami said that such actions cause educated people to flee Iran.

THE PLO 

Yasir Arafat (YAH-seer AHR-uh-FAT), 72, has been chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 1969. The stated goal of the PLO was originally to destroy Israel and establish a Palestinian state in its place. But in recent years, there were hopes that the two sides could reach a peace agreement. Then, a year ago, violence erupted again. Palestinian suicide bombings have killed dozens of Israeli citizens. Israel has responded with tank and mortar attacks on Palestinian areas. Because of an Israeli security blockade, many Palestinians have lost their jobs. People on both sides are in despair.

ISRAEL

Ariel Sharon (ARR-ee-el shah-ROHN), 73 became Prime Minister in February 2001. His Likud Party won a landslide election following the breakdown of peace talks with the PLO. Sharon, a former general, has long been one of Israel's most controversial figures. He leads Israel at one of the tensest times in its history. Violence has escalated since last September, when Sharon visited an area in Jerusalem of religious importance to both Jews and Muslims. More than 700 people have been killed in the violence, most of them Palestinian.

Oceania

AUSTRALIA

John Howard, 57, has been Australia's Prime Minister since 1996. The conservative Prime Minister has been criticized for not doing more to help refugees from Afghanistan and the Aborigines, Australia's original people. Howard flew to Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ANZUS military alliance of Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. Howard could have a tough time holding onto his job after elections later this year. He faces challengers both from the left and the right.