Honored for the third consecutive year: It could only be President V. Putin.

(Baonghean) - The prestigious Forbes magazine has just announced the results of its poll for the world's most powerful person in 2015, and once again, Vladimir Putin's name has been mentioned. While in 2014, his decision to annex Crimea as part of Russia or the $400 billion gas deal with China were reasons for his honor, this year his victory is arguably even more convincing.

Born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Vladimir Putin began his presidency of Russia after the events of December 31, 1999, when, under immense pressure and the risk of losing control of the political arena, the incumbent President Boris Yeltsin was forced to resign.

Legally, Vladimir Putin, as head of government, assumed the responsibility of acting president. He took office amidst difficult and complex circumstances, but through his sound and decisive policies, along with a team of capable and trustworthy assistants, he gradually stabilized a stagnant and backward economy and a turbulent political situation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Internet

To achieve these significant accomplishments, it is impossible to ignore the extremely flexible, rational, and timely domestic policy. Unlike his predecessor who always sought to confront the communists, Putin believed that, regardless of the mistakes the former Soviet Communist Party may have made, it remained an important part of Russian history and had a significant influence on the formation of modern Russian society.

Therefore, he restored values ​​and symbols that had been erased under the former Soviet Union, such as the red flag of the Red Army; the motto "Soviet Star"; and the Soviet national anthem (with modified lyrics)... Thanks to this, he gained the trust of the Russian people, especially the middle-aged and older generations. Young Russians viewed him as an admirable idol and someone to emulate.

President Putin in camouflage military uniform. Photo: Internet

During his first two presidential terms, Vladimir Putin arguably left behind a legacy of a rapidly developing Russia, which has once again become one of the leading economic and military powers. Afterward, he retired to a "retirement" position as Prime Minister under President Dmitry Medvedev.

Although he was "in hiding," everyone knew just how significant his influence was on the policies of the then-current President. Then, upon his return to the presidency, people once again witnessed the innate leadership talent of an intelligent, cautious, yet decisive leader, and above all, an boundless love for his country.

Vladimir Putin leads the "Night Wolves" motorcade in Novorossiysk. Photo: Internet.

Having once been a world superpower, Putin understands that economic and military development to restore Russia to its former position is a necessary condition. The sufficient condition, however, is that Russia must be one of the countries making significant contributions and having an important voice on global issues, earning the respect of the entire world.

It's worth remembering that in 2013, when the issue involved former US National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden – who revealed to the world the controversial US eavesdropping program – despite immense pressure from powerful partners to extradite him, Vladimir Putin not only refused to extradite him or allow him transit through the airport, but he also granted Edward Snowden asylum.

Or consider the story of Putin's shrewdness in "rescuing" Syria – a close ally of Russia in the Middle East – from the imminent threat of war related to a series of chemical weapons programs. Or the handling of the crisis in Ukraine, culminating in the annexation of Crimea last March, which pushed relations between Russia and the US and EU to an extreme level reminiscent of the Cold War…

President Vladimir Putin participates in the environmental project "Flight of Hope".

In just a few years, Vladimir Putin has caught American and Western politicians and academics off guard with his decisions. All of this has a single purpose: to increase Russia's influence and restore Europe's largest country to the position he aspires to.

Returning to the problems Russia faced in 2015 and how he handled them, or his decision to join the fight against ISIS, demonstrates the decisiveness of this powerful man.

Following the annexation of Crimea, Russia under his leadership faced numerous sanctions that destabilized the Russian economy. Even at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, with the continuous drop in world oil prices, many experts predicted that the Russian economy could not survive. Because the Russian economy is so heavily dependent on oil and gas exports, once this source of revenue becomes less valuable, bankruptcy will be inevitable. This is especially true when the domestic currency plummets due to foreign investors selling off the ruble…

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a walk with his two pet dogs, Buffy and Yume, in the suburbs of Moscow. Photo: Internet

Faced with these difficulties, Russia under Putin's leadership made sound political and economic decisions, such as signing the Minsk agreement to ease tensions with the West, temporarily reducing the pressure of existing sanctions and preventing new ones; repeatedly raising interest rates on the domestic currency; and injecting over 110 billion in foreign currency to absorb domestic currency... These actions by the Russian Central Bank helped the country weather the storm.

Besides miraculously escaping the crisis temporarily, President Vladimir Putin's launch of the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) has demonstrated the immense influence of Putin's decisions.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays the piano at a charity concert at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg. Photo: Internet

What surprised US and Western officials the most was that a massive force of war equipment mobilized from Russia to Syria had bypassed all the most prominent intelligence agencies, including the CIA. It was only when Russian fighter jets launched massive sorties, destroying hundreds of ISIS targets daily, that everyone was taken aback.

The achievements in both economic and military fields over the past year are a way for him to attract votes. In this year's election, there are also very strong contenders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel with her flexible, adaptable, and humane policies in dealing with the severe migration crisis occurring in Europe; and US President Barack Obama with his efforts to mend relations between the two former enemies, the US and Cuba… But truly, Vladimir Putin deserves this symbolic yet noble title. And perhaps Forbes' statement says it all: "President Putin is one of the very few men in the world powerful enough to do what he wants without any obstacles."

Canh Nam