Is Vladimir Putin really the most influential person in the world? Well, Forbes thinks so! It happens that Barrack Obama, President of the United States is number tow despite the fact that the USA has been the only real superpower since the end of World War II. This looks and sound really strange, especially if to consider the fact that the Russian president is considered to be number one by one of the most influential Western editions, not some Eastern experts or politicians.
What does it really mean? Does it mean that the rating of the world’s most powerful people is subjective and biased and therefore cannot be treated seriously or that the USA is really losing ground along with The Independent (one of the most respected editions in the UK?)
Let’s ponder on these questions together with Masterforex-V Academy…
The Independent on Putin’s Power
Rupert Cornwell, an observer for The Independent has recently written an article on this topic. In this article, the author says that Putin is the most powerful politician in the world, even more powerful than Barrack Obama. Still, he assume that in absolute terms, the USA is still the most powerful state in the world.
Indeed, the USA is still the world's biggest economy and the issuer of the global reserve currency - the US Dollar. It is not accidental that 28 out of 71 positions in Forbes's rating are occupied by American citizens. Most of them are CEOs of the world's most powerful corporations.
At the same time, there are only 4 Russians in the rating – Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Igor Sechin (CEO of Rosneft) and Alisher Usmanov). According to the author, this is the reflection of Russia's modest economic position in the world – number 10.
Another factor to consider is the budget share spend on defense. The USA is obviously far ahead of Russia in these terms.
Moreover, innovative technologies and hi-tech are necessary to consider when comparing the 2 economies. The USA with its tech giants like Apple , Google , Microsoft, Facebook etc. Is definitely the mere leader.
Once again, the US Dollar is much more powerful than the Russian Ruble. The US Dollar is the world's major currency. Even the major currency pairs traded on Forex include USD. A lot of currencies worldwide are pegged to the US Dollar. This is the global reserve currency and the only currency to trade gold, oil and some other key commodities.
By the way, the Euro and the US Dollar have recently strengthened a little against the Russian Ruble. The chart below, courtesy of Masterforex-V Academy, confirms that:
In other words, the USA is still number one, with Russia lagging far behind it. Still, somehow, Barrack Obama yielded his leadership to Vladimir Putin, who used to be number three last year.
Expert Opinion
Still, Forbes expert don’t insist that their standpoint is 100% objective! They explain that their rating is based on 3 criteria:
The amount of people under supervision
The financial resources available
The amount of social fields influenced by the person in question
Forbes underlines that we should confuse the USA status as a superpower and Obama’s power to exercise control and solve problems. The experts underline that the rating is about individuals rather than countries, governments or corporations. In particular, they say that the political, economic or military power itself is meaningless without a person ready to control and use it. Putin showed his determination to use his power many times in the past while Obama obviously had some problems with it.
