HE MAY NOT be popular at home, but he certainly seems to have the respect of his international peers.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has made it in to Newsweek’s list of 10 most respected leaders. Newsweek has nicknamed Cowen “The Fiscal Taskmaster” and have praised him for “prescribing harsh medicine” in a tough economic climate.

The magazine praises the Cowen/Lenihan double-team. “They’ve pushed through austerity packages drastic enough to win the admiration of the international community, raised taxes, and slashed some public salaries by more than 10 percent”.

David Cameron tops the list, which also features Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, Nicolas Sarkozy of France and the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Newsweek also lists Ireland as the 17th best country to live. The list puts us ahead of Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Portugal but below the UK, Germany, France and the US. Finland tops the lost. Ireland’s health is praised as seventh best in the world.