Real Clear World's Top 5 Most Influential Women in the World

[Ogre Mage]

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Their list, with brief biographies and videos, is:

1.  Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
2.  Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State
3.  Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo
4.  Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine
5.  Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina

http://www.realclearworld.com/lists/most_influential_women/most_influential_women_intro.html

[Psychic Octopus]

2.  Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

[quote]
I am preeeety sure that's a guy.

[Verily]

Kirchner is too unpopular to have any influence. Wu Yi is probably more influential despite her retirement.

[big bad fab]

Michelle Obama ?

[MasterJedi]

Michelle Obama ?

She has no power and barely any influence besides maybe in the African-American community and then barely so.

[Franzl]

Michelle Obama ?

She has no power and barely any influence besides maybe in the African-American community and then barely so.

depends greatly on what type of influence we're talking about

[Lunar]

That's fairly ethnically diverse list if you use Latin American instead of Caucasian for one of them.

[Verily]

That's fairly ethnically diverse list if you use Latin American instead of Caucasian for one of them.

Argentines are just Germans and Italians speaking Spanish.

[Ogre Mage]

Michelle Obama ?

The First Lady of the United States often has significant cultural influence.  But this is a list with hard political/economic power as the criteria.  Michelle Obama definitely doesn't qualify on that front.

Merkel's rise has been an interesting one.  I've seen surveys suggesting she is the most influential head of state in Europe, which is notable given how close the German elections were in 2005.  She didn't start with a strong mandate.

[big bad fab]

Michelle Obama ?

The First Lady of the United States often has significant cultural influence.  But this is a list with hard political/economic power as the criteria.  Michelle Obama definitely doesn't qualify on that front.

Merkel's rise has been an interesting one.  I've seen surveys suggesting she is the most influential head of state in Europe, which is notable given how close the German elections were in 2005.  She didn't start with a strong mandate.

Right, she has no DIRECT influence on the "outside" of the White House, but what about her influence on Barack ?

This is a real power.... that we cannot assess precisely of course.

But she is far more powerful than, say, Hasina Wajed, Jacqui Smith or... Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
Maybe even more than Meg Whitman during this period of deep crisis with a public governement which act everywhere and which is the last resort where to find (not so real) money.

[Ogre Mage]

In terms of her background, the U.S. First Lady that Michelle Obama most closely resembles is Hillary Clinton.  Both women were raised in middle-class families in Illinois, attended Ivy League Law Schools (Harvard and Yale) and for a time were the primary breadwinners in their families.  And like both Clinton and Cherie Blair (another First Lady/lawyer), Obama is outspoken, although she curbed this tendency after she received criticism and the campaign progressed.

But unlike Clinton, Obama has avoided inserting herself into debates on policy issues.  I believe she will generally but not always follow this pattern in the White House, although her background suggests she is capable of more.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I have to wonder how Sonia Gandhi isn't on the list.

[Beet]

I have to wonder how Sonia Gandhi isn't on the list.

She would be if she was Prime Minister.

[Platypus]

That's fairly ethnically diverse list if you use Latin American instead of Caucasian for one of them.

Argentines are just Germans and Italians speaking Spanish.

There are a few Welsh people down south, too