World of the Week: World Power Comes from Each Individual

(Baonghean) - Last week, the American magazine Forbes announced the list of the 100 most powerful people in the world in 2014. It is an honor for individuals who have a great influence on the movement and development of the world. It is the recognition and recognition of the majority for the contributions of each individual. It can build, it can destroy - the thing to remember here is that the power of this world comes from each individual.

Washington's new 'Iron Man'

The Republican Party's victory in last week's midterm elections has brought a new element to American politics. Mitch McConnell - a Republican senator and also the leader of the Senate majority - is considered a new opponent threatening President Obama's power.

Mitch McConnell - Washington's new power man.

Now 72 and a Kentucky congressman since 1984, Mitch McConnell, with his signature toothless smile, is poised to become one of the most powerful people in the world. Or at least until the 2016 presidential election. McConnell will undoubtedly be a significant obstacle to President Obama’s actions in his final two years in office. He has about 10 “pro-growth” bills on his radar, including legislation to allow the Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. He also has plans to increase natural gas production, support small businesses, and reduce regulations.

McConnell's political career began in 1964, alongside fellow Republicans John Sherman Cooper and then Marlow Cook. Under the 38th President Gerald Fold (1974-1977), he served as counsel to the Attorney General before being elected a judge in Kentucky in 1977. The Economist described him as having "the charm of an oyster" - cunning and indifferent. Alec MacGillis, a reporter for The New Republic, wrote that McConnell was a supporter of Martin Luther King's civil rights movement before becoming a classic Republican. It must be admitted that since taking the role of Republican minority leader in the Senate in 2007, he has consistently obstructed President Obama. He was instrumental in the Republican victory in the 2010 election to take the House of Representatives. In the New York Times, Kentucky's only Democratic candidate, John Yarmuth, called McConnell "the Tiger Woods of politics": so focused on his goals that "he's brilliant." His recent campaign against Obama featured bumper stickers with the easy-to-understand slogan: "Coal. Guns. Freedom."

Mitch McConnell has said he wants to run Congress the way Democratic Congressman George Mitchell did from 1989 to 1995: "Congress must be run in a more open way, not by a majority," as Democratic Congressman Harry Reid has done up to now. He called Mitch McConnell to congratulate him right after the Republican victory. On his personal Twitter page, the leader of the Democratic faction in the Senate wrote: "The message from the voters is clear. They want us to work together." It remains to be seen what Mitch McConnell thinks about this.

Hollande loses credibility, Sarkozy "takes advantage of troubled waters to fish"

On Thursday, November 6, French President Francois Hollande appeared on French television in the program "Facing the French". Four guests were invited to directly talk to the President - a program aimed at building up the influence of the owner of the Elysées. This effort backfired and only reinforced the French assertion that Francois Hollande lacks image, credibility and convincing results.

The hope of stabilizing and mending the relationship with France, convincing the people of the achievements of Francois Hollande's mid-term policy has failed miserably. The strategy was to build the image of a President who listens, shares the difficulties, worries and expectations of the people. Trying to respond in a specific and realistic way. A President who is honest about his failures, especially in solving unemployment. Finally, a President who always speaks up to defend France against criticism. However, the risk of this strategy is to become a President so normal that it is mediocre. Very friendly, but lacking the authority and sovereignty that the French people still expect. Francois Hollande has not avoided this risk: wanting to be a gatherer and protector, he appears as someone who does not bring a sense of certainty. Halfway through his term, Hollande's approval rating is at a record low with no bottom in sight. While the French people are waiting for a new change, a breakthrough in governance policy, Hollande only promises results that will be achieved thanks to policies that are already being applied. In vain when everyone realizes that such policies cannot quickly revive the French economy.

In contrast to the passive stalemate of the current President, former President Sarkozy is showing more enthusiasm than ever in his campaign. A month and a half after officially returning to politics, the presidential candidate of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) held a press conference at Porte de Versailles, Paris on November 7 to "breathe life" into his campaign. For nearly an hour, the former President gave a passionate speech about the republican ideal. According to him, the republic of Lamartine, Victor Hugo, Clemenceau and De Gaulle is being threatened by "a thousand small cracks that form a big crack". In fact, Sarkozy is basically loyal to the spirit of the 2012 campaign. Perhaps he hopes that Hollande's loss of confidence will be an opportunity for the French to look back and realize what was the right choice.

The Opposite Powers of the Year

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), has for the first time made it to the list of the most powerful people of the year as voted by Forbes magazine.

Abou Bakr al-Bagdadi in Iraq last July.

Ranked 54th on the list, while IS only emerged in June, this self-proclaimed Iraqi caliphate shows the unimaginable expansion of the Middle Eastern extremist Islamic organization. Starting the fight against IS in August, the US announced a $10 million reward for anyone who captured Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin tops the list for the second year in a row, beating US President Barack Obama, who had to settle for second place. Forbes magazine asks: "So who is more powerful: the all-powerful head of a war-torn, decadent country or the handcuffed leader of the country that rules the world?"

President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping ranked 3rd. Pope Francis ranked 4th. German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked 5th. Among the 12 newcomers to the ranking were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (15th place) and Alibaba Group founder - and China's richest man - Jack Ma (30th place).

The list includes 26 Americans, 19 Asians, of whom 6 are Chinese. 36 of them are CEOs of the world's leading corporations, and only 9 are women.

Thuc Anh

(According to Le monde)