raymon
Joined: 20 Nov 2003
Posts: 1452
Location: Here
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject: Merkel displaces Rice as No. 1 among most powerful women |
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The World's Most Powerful Women
The World's Most Powerful Women
Elizabeth MacDonald and Chana R. Schoenberger, Forbes.
Angela Merkel, the first woman to become chancellor of Germany, has displaced Condoleezza Rice as No. 1 on our list of the 100 Most Powerful Women.
Merkel won a tight election last year to unseat Gerhard Schröder as chancellor. She's a former physicist from East Germany and a firm believer in free-market capitalism. Since taking office, Merkel has won respect on the world stage and popular appeal in Germany for her quiet diplomacy.
Despite her short time in office, Merkel has been dazzling world leaders, including Tony Blair and George W. Bush. But Merkel has a tough fight ahead of her. Her approval ratings have declined to 56% from 80% earlier this year, making it more difficult for Merkel to win big with key legislative initiatives, including health care reform and corporate tax restructuring. She inherited a stagnant economy that has only lately shown signs of revival. At the same time, Merkel also has allied Germany with the U.S. to oppose Iran's nuclear activities, and she was vocal on energy security at the G8 summit meeting this summer, where she was the only female leader at the table.
Who else came on the list?
Most noteably Queen Rania on 81st place
There are few women in the Middle East who can summon the attention of world leaders at the drop of a hat. The Kuwait-born Rania is one of the few. The queen ascended to the throne in 1999, when her husband, King Abdullah, succeeded his father, the late King Hussein. She graduated from the American University in Cairo, went to Amman to work, and married the future king at age 22. A mother of four, the queen often takes her children along on her global travels. Rania is known for her impeccable, chic style, but she also is notable for vocal advocacy of women and children's issues in a region where such rights aren't a given. "The best advertisement for empowering women is an empowered woman," she says. —Chana Schoenberger |
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