# Who is the most powerful person in the world right now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307 "2012-09-30T12:13:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/1 "2012-09-30T12:13:59Z")
Please explain your selection. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/2 "2012-09-30T13:05:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Who is the most powerful person in the world right now? [Brian Shaw](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shaw_%28strongman%29) > [@](#): > > Please explain your selection. He was the winner of the 2011 World’s Strongest Man competition. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/3 "2012-09-30T17:26:59Z")
B.O. He still controls “the football” ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/4 "2012-09-30T17:44:12Z")
Dick Cheney, because his shriveled and mangled body has been fitted with cybernetic replacement parts. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/5 "2012-09-30T17:57:52Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Dick Cheney, because his shriveled and mangled body has been fitted with cybernetic replacement parts. More machine than man now, he is twisted and evil. Actually, his ventricle assist device was replaced by a real heart. I’m going to go with what the supermarket check out line tells me: Khole Kardashian. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/6 "2012-09-30T18:04:13Z")
**Santos L Halper** , strong does not necessarily imply powerful, unless he’s also fast. I’d guess that the human being with the highest sustained wattage output right now would probably be Lance Armstrong. Though Usain Bolt probably has him beat on peak instantaneous power. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/7 "2012-09-30T18:49:05Z")
Barack Obama Line-item veto + Commander-in-Chief + Tremendous influence = Huge power. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/8 "2012-09-30T18:55:24Z")
Obama. The President of the USA is still the most powerful person in the world, and will be for the foreseeable future. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/9 "2012-09-30T22:00:28Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Barack Obama > > Line-item veto + Commander-in-Chief + Tremendous influence = Huge power. Who’s still limited by congress, the constraints of a democractic system and the fact he has to play super nice as an election is coming up. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/10 "2012-09-30T22:02:01Z")
It seems to me like Hu Jinato could more immediately influence the lives (for better or worse) of more people than Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/11 "2012-09-30T22:29:43Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > It seems to me like Hu Jinato could more immediately influence the lives (for better or worse) of more people than Obama. Yeah, but he’s scheduled to retire very soon too. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/12 "2012-09-30T22:46:45Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > It seems to me like Hu Jinato could more immediately influence the lives (for better or worse) of more people than Obama. Sort of hard to tell how much power Hu Jinato has, as the upper levels of the Chinese gov’t are opaque by design. I’d agree that if he has unilateral power over the Chinese gov’t, the he’s the most powerful person in the world. The US is certainly the most powerful country, but despite appearances, the Presidency is a pretty weak position. Vladmir Putin is the first person that jumps to mind as someone who is both the leader of a powerful country and whose control over that country is relatively strong and unambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/13 "2012-09-30T22:58:16Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Barack Obama > > Line-item veto + Commander-in-Chief + Tremendous influence = Huge power. The federal line item veto was declared unconstitutional in 1998, a 6-3 decision by SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/14 "2012-10-01T00:13:09Z")
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He has the ability to affect the worlds economy faster and with more impact than anyone else on earth. He’s also in charge of the two holiest sites for more than a billion people. Who do you think is more powerful, the President of the United States, or the man who can make the President of the United States defend his country? Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/15 "2012-10-01T00:32:05Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Who’s still limited by congress, the constraints of a democractic system and the fact he has to play super nice as an election is coming up. It’s at least plausible to me that the President of the United States (whoever he happens to be at the moment) is _both_ (a) the most powerful person in the world, and (b) not nearly as powerful as people think he is. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/16 "2012-10-01T01:46:04Z")
As detailed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15267532&postcount=477), it’s the guy in charge of the Illuminati. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/17 "2012-10-01T02:39:32Z")
Some still say it’s the General of the Jesuit Order. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/18 "2012-10-01T02:48:10Z")
Possibly Rupert Murdoch, because he has successfully created a media empire based on espousing conservative principles that is not confined solely to one country (like most state-run media are). ---
**Author:** ![Troutsqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Troutsqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troutsqueezer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/19 "2012-10-01T03:31:43Z")
Me. I have full control over my mind and body. Nobody…I mean nobody can force me to do something if I don’t want to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307/20 "2012-10-01T03:59:51Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > The federal line item veto was declared unconstitutional in 1998, a 6-3 decision by SCOTUS. Curses! Foiled again! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world-right-now/636307.md?page=2)