Russian President, Vladimir Putin has
usurped President Obama as the Forbes’ Most Powerful Person in the World
this year for the first time in Obama’s presidency, abc News reports.
The magazine published its annual list
today and noted that the Russian president had overtaken the American
one in part because of Russia’s role in the Syria conflict this summer.
“Putin has solidified his control over
Russia and anyone watching the chess match over Syria has a clear idea
of the shift in the power towards Putin on the global stage,” Forbes
wrote. “The ex-KGB strongman–who controls a nuclear-tipped army, a
permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council and some of the world’s
largest oil and gas reserves – is allowed to serve another six-year
term, which could keep him in office until 2024.”
Putin has flaunted his power over the
past year, including during heightened tensions with the U.S. over Syria
when he penned an Op-Ed critical of Obama and published it in The New York Times.
As Russia and the U.S. came to agreement
over disarming Syria, Putin was also touting the fact that he provided
refuge for Edward Snowden, the intelligence leaker sought by the U.S.
for publishing National Security Agency’s secrets
.
.
As Russia prepares to host the Olympics
early next year, Putin used his clout to change the official launch date
of the Soyuz spacecraft so that it could take with it, the Olympic
torch for a spacewalk, making Russia the country that netted the torch
the most miles before an Olympics.
The trained judo fighter has also showed
his power in other, less-subtle ways, such as when he releases
photographs of himself riding horses bare-chested, riding in a motorized
hang-glider, playing hockey, and scuba diving.
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