
Tony Blair::: Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the 
United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. 
He resigned from all of these positions in June 2007.
Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in the leadership election of July 1994, following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. 
Under his leadership, the party used the phrase "New Labour" to distinguish it between previous Labour policies. 
Blair declared opposition to the traditional conception of socialism, and declared support for a new conception of socialism that he referred to 
as "social-ism" that involved politics that recognized individuals as socially interdependent, and advocated social justice, cohesion, equal worth of 
each citizen, and equal opportunity.[2] Critics of Blair denounced him for having the Labour Party abandon genuine socialism and accepting capitalism.[3] 
Blair in 2009 publicly declared support for a "new capitalism".[4] Blair led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election. 
At 43 years old, he became the youngest Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812. In the first years of the New Labour government, 
Blair's government implemented a number of 1997 manifesto pledges, introducing the minimum wage, Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information Act, 
and carrying out devolution, establishing the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Blair's role as Prime Minister was particularly visible in foreign and security policy, including in Northern Ireland, where he was involved in 
the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. From the start of the War on Terror in 2001, Blair strongly supported the foreign policy of US President 
George W. Bush, notably by participating in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and 2003 invasion of Iraq. Blair is the Labour Party's 
longest-serving Prime Minister, the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive general election victories, and the 
only Labour Prime Minister to serve consecutive terms more than one of which was at least four years long.
He was succeeded as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007 and as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 by Gordon Brown.[5] On the day 
he resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. In May 2008, Blair launched his 
Tony Blair Faith Foundation.[6] This was followed in July 2009 by the launching of the Faith and Globalisation Initiative with Yale University 
in the US, Durham University in the UK and the National University of Singapore in Asia to deliver a postgraduate programme 
in partnership with the Foundation.[7][8]

Vladimir Putin::: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ( listen); born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician who has been the President of Russia 
since 7 May 2012. Putin previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. 
Putin was also previously the Chairman of United Russia.
For sixteen years Putin was an officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint 
Petersburg in 1991. He moved to Moscow in 1996 and joined President Boris Yeltsin's administration where he rose quickly, becoming Acting President 
on 31 December 1999 when Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly. Putin won the subsequent 2000 presidential election and was re-elected in 2004. Because of 
constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev won the 2008 
presidential election and appointed Putin as Prime Minister, beginning a period of so-called "tandemocracy".[1] In September 2011, following a change 
in the law, Putin announced that he would seek a third, non-consecutive term as President in the 2012 presidential election, an announcement which led 
to large-scale protests in many Russian cities. He won the election in March 2012 and will serve an increased, six-year term.[2][3]
Putin has been widely credited for overseeing a return of political stability and economic progress to Russia, ending the crisis of the 1990s.[4][5] 
During Putin's first premiership and presidency (1999–2008), real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5, real wages more than tripled; unemployment and 
poverty more than halved and the Russians' self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly.[6] Putin's first presidency was marked by high economic growth: 
the Russian economy grew for eight straight years, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal).[6][7][8][9][10] These achievements have been ascribed 
by analysts to good macroeconomic management, important fiscal reforms, increasing capital inflows, access to low-cost external financing and a five-fold increase 
in the price of oil and gas which constitute the majority of Russian exports.[11][12][13][14] As Russia's president, Putin passed into law a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes.[13][15] As Prime Minister, 
Putin oversaw large scale military reform and police reform. His energy policy has affirmed Russia's position as an energy superpower.[16] Putin supported 
high-tech industries such as the nuclear and defence industries. A rise in foreign investment[17] contributed to a boom in such sectors as the automotive industry.
In Russia, Putin's leadership has mostly enjoyed considerable popularity, with generally high approval ratings.[18] However, many of his actions have been 
characterised by the domestic opposition as undemocratic.[19] Western observers and organisations have also voiced criticism of Putin's leadership. 
The 2011 Democracy Index stated that Russia has been in "a long process of regression culminated in a move from a hybrid to an authoritarian regime" 
under Putin,[20] and American diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks allege that Russia has become a "virtual mafia state" due to systematic corruption 
in Putin's governance.[21][22] Some critics describe him as a dictator,[23][24][25] allegations which Putin adamantly denies. Putin publicly projects an 
adventurous, macho image via taking part in unusual or dangerous activities; some of these publicity stunts have occasionally been criticised. 
A keen practitioner of martial arts, Putin has played a major role in the development of sport in Russia, notably, helping Sochi to win the bid for 
the 2014 Winter Olympics.


Saddam Hussein::: Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti  28 April 1937[2] – 30 December 2006)[3] was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this 
capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.[4][5] A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, 
the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region--which espoused ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism 
and Arab socialism--Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup (later referred to as the 17 July Revolution) that brought the party to power in Iraq.
As vice president under the ailing General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and at a time when many groups were considered capable of overthrowing the government, 
Saddam created security forces through which he tightly controlled conflict between the government and the armed forces. In the early 1970s, 
Saddam nationalized oil and other industries. The state-owned banks were put under his control, leaving the system eventually insolvent mostly due 
to the Iran–Iraq War, the Persian Gulf War, and UN sanctions.[6] Through the 1970s, Saddam cemented his authority over the apparatuses of government 
as oil money helped Iraq's economy to grow at a rapid pace.[citation needed] Positions of power in the country were mostly filled with Sunnis, a 
minority that made up only a fifth of the population. Saddam formally rose to power in 1979, though he had been the de facto head of Iraq for several years prior (see Succession). He suppressed several 
movements, particularly Shi'a and Kurdish movements seeking to overthrow the government or gain independence, respectively,[7] and maintained power 
during the Iran–Iraq War of 1980 through 1988. In 1990 he ordered the invasion of Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War of 1991. Whereas some[who?] venerated
 him for his opposition to Israel - which included the use of military force[8] - he was widely condemned in the west for the brutality of his dictatorship.
In March 2003, a coalition led by the U.S. and U.K. invaded Iraq to depose Saddam, after U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony
 Blair accused him of possessing weapons of mass destruction and having ties to al-Qaeda. Saddam's Ba'ath party was disbanded and Iraq made a transition 
 to a democratic system. Following his capture on 13 December 2003, the trial of Saddam took place under the Iraqi interim government. On 5 November 2006, 
 Saddam was convicted of charges related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites and was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution was carried out on 
 30 December 2006.[9]