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2012

People Who Mattered in 2012

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  • Bashar Assad

    By Tony Karon Dec. 18, 2012
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    ROB WALLACE / ABC / AP

    He may be the most reviled world leader at the moment, but there’s no doubting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s impact on the 2012 news cycle. The world has watched in horror as the 47-year-old strongman has waged a vicious military campaign against his opponents in a 20-month-long civil war that has already claimed upwards of 30,000 lives. Few would have bet a year ago that Assad would still be in power as 2012 draws to a close. His political survival, and the dilemma it poses for the international community, is one of the major news stories of the year.

    See photos of Syria’s slow-motion civil war.

    Next Ben Bernanke

    Full List

    • People Who Mattered

      • Bashar Assad
      • Ben Bernanke
      • Jeff Bezos
      • John Boehner
      • Chris Christie
      • Hillary Clinton
      • Bill Clinton
      • Stephen Colbert
      • Claire Danes
      • Gabby Douglas
      • Mario Draghi
      • Lena Dunham
      • Sandra Fluke
      • Roger Goodell
      • Klaus Jacob
      • E.L. James
      • Jay-Z
      • Xi Jinping
      • Paul Kagame
      • Imran Khan
      • Christine Lagarde
      • Erik Martin and Violentacrez
      • Trayvon Martin
      • Marissa Mayer
      • Angela Merkel
      • Khaled Meshal
      • Kate Middleton
      • Enrique Peña Nieto
      • Benjamin Netanyahu
      • Frank Ocean
      • Michelle Obama
      • Larry Page
      • Jonah Peretti
      • David Petraeus
      • Michael Phelps
      • Psy
      • Pussy Riot
      • Susan Rice
      • John Roberts
      • Mitt Romney
      • Paul Ryan
      • Thein Sein
      • Nate Silver
      • Anne-Marie Slaughter
      • Jon Stewart
      • Aung San Suu Kyi
      • Undocumented Immigrants
      • Kim Jong Un
      • Kate Upton
      • Elizabeth Warren

      Related

      • 2012 Person of the Year: Barack Obama, the President
      • Runner-Up: Malala Yousafzai, the Fighter
      • Runner-Up: Tim Cook, the Technologist
      • Runner-Up: Mohamed Morsi, the Power Broker
      • Runner-Up: Fabiola Gianotti, the Discoverer
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