Advertisement Banner
1. Vladimir Putin
International sanctions imposed after Russia seized Crimea and waged war by proxy in eastern Ukraine savaged the ruble and drove Russia into recession. But Putin's approval rating hit 89% in June and has hardly wavered since the Kremlin leader sent his armed forces into Syria to prop up allied autocrat President Bashar Assad and attack Islamist militants.
2. Angela Merkel
She clinched a third four-year term at the helm of Europe's most vibrant economy, steered creditors and indebted Greece toward a third Eurozone-rescuing bailout, joined forces in the multinational fight against Islamic State militants and appealed for European generosity and compassion toward the hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing conflict and oppression this year.
3. Barack Obama
As he enters the final year of his presidency, his influence is shrinking amid political discord and approval ratings often below 50%. He struggles to get things done at home and is outshined by Merkel in Europe and outmaneuvered by Putin in the Middle East.
4. Pope Francis
The spiritual leader of one-sixth of the world's population, the pope has made it his mission to transform the long-standing conservative image of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been a leader in urging actions on climate change, immigration and the persecution of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
China's paramount leader is the most powerful in the Middle Kingdom since Mao Tse-tung. Xi was quick to see the benefits of privatization-friendly reforms and has engaged in fresh thinking across the social and economic panoramas.
6. Bill Gates
The world's richest man launched Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen 40 years ago with the goal of getting a computer on every person's desk. Now, 84% of U.S. households own a computer. But Gates and his wife, Melinda, exercise power for an arguably greater good through their charitable foundation devoted to reducing inequity in the world.
7. Janet Yellen
The first female head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, an Ivy League-educated economist, has deftly ushered markets through six bond-buying cuts and could begin loosening the economic reins on interest rates as soon as next month to further unwind recession-era interventions.
8. David Cameron
The British prime minister held on to his office at 10 Downing St. this year, winning reelection in May. He now presides over the country's only conservative-majority government in 23 years and has elevated Britain's voice in the continental debate over how much national sovereignty should be sacrificed to European integration.
9. Narendra Modi
India's populist prime minister presided over 7.4% economic growth in his first year in office and raised his profile as a global leader during visits with Obama and Xi. A barnstorming tour of Silicon Valley reinforced his nation's massive importance in technology.
10. Larry Page
At 42, the chief executive of new publicly traded Google parent company Alphabet is the youngest in the top 10 on Forbes' list. In August he announced that he'd be handing over the Google leadership to the search giant's product czar, Sundar Pichai.
Advertisement Banner
No comments:
Post a Comment