I think it would be safe to say that the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China are the most powerful and influential countries in the world right now.
If we take that as a given... which countries are #4-12?
Russia is not by any stretch of the imagination #3. They have a smaller economy than Italy, have essentially no real allies, and their crumbling military power allows them to project force only in a small region immediately surrounding their borders, and poorly. The only reason some perceive them as such is because they are an isolated power, and so uses of their limited power and influence is more visible than the (mostly) U.S. aligned more significant nations.
I'd say 6th would be generous (after Germany, France, and Japan), and only because of their UNSC seat (which they don't deserve anyways).
