Mexican druglord Joaquín Guzmán, 52, is the new Pablo Escobar, a kingpin testing the ability of a nascent democracy to control organized crime. In 2001, Guzmán, a.k.a. Chapo, or Shorty, escaped from a prison near Guadalajara in a laundry van and sparked a ghastly drug war responsible for the murders of almost 15,000 traffickers, cops, soldiers and civilians — violence that respects no border. Mexican President Felipe Calderón has sent his army after Guzmán, who heads the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, but the man who tops Mexico's list of most-wanted criminals also made Forbes magazine's billionaires list this year. Scratching him off both rolls is now a U.S. as well as a Mexican priority.

Fast Fact: The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for Guzmán's capture

Nouri al-Maliki is the first Iraqi Prime Minister to hold office under the new constitution. He spent most of his prior life as an Islamic Dawa Party activist working for Saddam's overthrow. Dawa, long years of exile and the fight against Saddam shaped al-Maliki and his worldview.

Al-Maliki, 58, assumed his role at a time when violence was high. The bombing of al-Askari Mosque in February 2006 was intended to cause an all-out war between Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs. During those tense times, I met with al-Maliki often. I found him to be focused on establishing security but torn on some key issues. He understood the need for reconciliation with former Baathists but was concerned that they would conspire to return to power. He told me he opposed the militias, but he was loath to move against the powerful Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM) because its political wing had supported his bid for office and because he believed it protected Shi'ites against Sunni attacks.

The evolution in al-Maliki's performance as Prime Minister surprised many. He became committed to building a new Iraqi state. His decision to use force against JAM in Basra in March 2008 — when he took charge of the operation himself — was a defining moment. Al-Maliki has skillfully maintained good relations with both the U.S. and Iran and handled Iraqi political groups well.

When I had dinner with him in Baghdad recently, I found him to be more at peace with himself, more confident that Iraq will succeed. But he and his nation face challenges. Iraq needs further progress in reconciliation. Violence could increase again. Kurds and the al-Maliki government need to avoid a drift toward increased tensions. And there has been little progress toward realizing Iraq's enormous economic potential. All these challenges will tax al-Maliki's political skills and determine his place in Iraqi history.

Khalilzad is a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Iraq and Afghanistan

No. 8 Hillary Clinton By MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT Thursday, Apr. 30, 2009

I met Hillary Clinton in the 1980s when she spoke in Washington at the Children's Defense Fund. Already her essential public qualities — intelligence, compassion, eloquence and wit — were on display. She was also a fighter for causes that count. Whether people agreed with her or not, they learned quickly that it was worth paying attention to what she had to say.

A quarter-century on, Hillary, 61, has proved herself as First Lady, U.S. Senator, author and the most successful female presidential candidate in American history. Yet her incredible journey continues. As Secretary of State, she must summon all her skills as a communicator while administering a large bureaucracy in a turbulent era on a global stage. For her, the hardest part may be accepting that in diplomacy, clear-cut wins and losses are rare. Foggy Bottom is a land of carefully chosen words, where unnecessary fights are avoided and multiple perspectives rigorously weighed. A skilled diplomat rarely generates extreme reactions; often, the most one can hope for while speaking is that when heads nod in response, it is in quiet agreement, not slumber.

Can Hillary adjust? She already has. It helps that no one doubts her courage, toughness or brains and that everyone knows who she is. It helps more that despite living under intense scrutiny for so long, Secretary Clinton knows exactly what she believes. The mission of public service is in her bones. She loves to tackle hard problems and has an assignment now where the supply is inexhaustible. She brings with her a lawyer's ability to marshal arguments, a pragmatist's skill at negotiating agreements and a natural leader's knack for making herself heard. In the end, she is more likely to change the job than the job is to change her.

Albright, who served as Bill Clinton's Secretary of State, was the first woman to hold that position

See why Hillary Clinton made the TIME 100 list

No. 9 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono By ANWAR IBRAHIM Thursday, Apr. 30, 2009