The World’s Most Powerful People 2015 – Forbes

According to Forbes, these heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs truly run the world.

Source: The World’s Most Powerful People 2015 – Forbes

This is an amazing list, especially the ranking of the top 10.

Significantly, Putin is No.1, Merkel No. 2 & Obama No. 3.

I was surprised to see David Cameron hanging in at No. 8.

With increasing risks in the world, it’s deeply worrying that Obama is so weak, compared to Putin and Merkel.

Thoughts?

Opinion – Putin, champion of the Shias | The Economist – John Gelmini

Vladimir Putin is interested in the defence of Russia from jihadists, terrorists and countries which want its mineral wealth or global domination. To do that he will form alliances with whoever he needs to.

So he is ‘Champion of the Shias’ not by ideological choice as the Economist headline suggests but by expediency and hard-headed calculation.

President Obama has failed this foreign policy test by claiming to want two contradictory outcomes, toppling Assad and putting Isis to the sword.The reality is that toppling Syria, Iran and then Russia is the real objective, and by pretending otherwise Obama, has been caught out by Putin who understood America’s real objectives and pre-empted her by force of arms.

Putin is increasingly gaining popularity at Obama’s expense. Putin is a man of action – Obama’s a ditherer.

John Gelmini