No one would call Vladimir Putin weak. As the undisputed popular head of an energy-rich, nuclear-tipped state, he is certainly a powerful man.
For the second year running, Forbes has voted the Russian president as the world’s most powerful person, followed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Forbes’ annual ranking of the World’s 72 Most Powerful People (one for every 100 million people on the planet) is based on voting by a panel of FORBES editors, who consider financial resources, scope and use of power, and the number of people they impact.
Forbes insists that it is “an evaluation of hard power” and their list wields the kind of power that shapes and bends the world, and moves people, markets, armies and minds.
Russia’s president remarked recently on the futility of attempts to rewrite history and “recode society” during his meeting with historians and history teachers. The president visited the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia and its Civil War (1918-1922) rarities exhibition.
He reminded historians that history is a science and not merely a political tool.
Obama has had to face a humiliating week after Democrats lost control of the Senate and suffered big losses in the House and governors’ races across the US as a result of his unpopular policies.
Rather than accept the election results as a repudiation of his own administration, the president said voters were disenchanted with Washington as a whole, perhaps explaining the Russian leader’s worldwide popularity.
American soft power has been eroded by costly wars against former friendly allies.
Obama’s advisers acknowledged that Tuesday’s outcome was far worse than what they expected.