December 26, 2011 | Vol. 178, No. 25-26

COVER
Person Of The Year: The Protester
A year after a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself ablaze, dissent has spread across
the Middle East, reaching Europe and the U.S., reshaping global politics and
redefining people power

Person Of The Year Introduction
History often emerges only in retrospect. Events become significant only when
looking back

William McRaven: The Admiral (Runners-Up)
He led the special-ops teams that took down Osama bin Laden. For both the man
and his troops, it was a long time coming

Ai Weiwei: The Dissident (Runners-Up)
In a year of crackdowns in China, the fate of its best-known artist held the world
in suspense. How far will Ai's activism go?

Paul Ryan: The Prophet (Runners-Up)
The Republican congressman wrote a plan to rein in America's debt. It will shape
our politics for years to come

Kate Middleton: The Princess (Runners-Up)
Her Wedding to Prince William captured the gaze and goodwill of millions. Now
the demure, diplomatic duchess of cambridge is poised to reinvest celebrity with
restraint

EDITOR'S DESK
A Year In The Making (To Our Readers) SPECIAL SECTION
People Who Mattered (Person of the Year)
TIME surveys the key figures, from politics and sports to entertainment and
religion, who shaped our world over the past year

Fond Farewells (Person of the Year)
Remembering those who left us in 2011: Carrie Fisher on Elizabeth Taylor, John
Lasseter on Steve Jobs, Rosalynn Carter on Betty Ford

COMMENTARY
Seasons in a Turbulent Year
What follows an Arab Spring, Indignant Summer, Occupied Fall and Russian Winter?

TRAVEL
Capital Appreciation (Next Time You're in ... Brazil)
Board a bus for the best way to see Brasﾃｭlia

High Times (After Dark)
Chill out at the summit of Ho Chi Minh City

LETTERS
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