"Angela Merkel tops the list of the most powerful women in the world," declares a LeMonde online portfolio. Merkel (left), as we've posted, has indeed taken initiatives of international import since becoming Germany's chancellor in 2005. So it's not surprisingly that for the 2d year in a row she's 1st among the 100 women on the list compiled annually by the business magazine Forbes (online registration required). Here're the top 15 (quotations from LeMonde's commentary):
1. Angela Merkel: "Her talent as a negotiator during the G-8 summit held in June in Germany was impressive."
2. Wu Yi (right): "Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, nicknamed the 'Woman of Iron,' has pushed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice out of 2d place. Her principal skill, according to the magazine: success in the economic realm."
3. Ho Ching: "CEO of the Temasek Holdings, a public investment company in Singapore, and also the wife of Singapore's Prime Minister, she has conquered 3d place."
4. Condoleezza Rice: "The American Secretary of State has slipped to this rank, although the magazin
e takes note of the extent of her activities in the Middle East" (coincidentally, today's New York Times profiles Rice "As Her Star Wanes").5. Indra K. Nooyi (left): "Executive for the American agribusiness giant PepsiCo, she often wears a sari and does not have the typical profile of the CEO of a multinational company. Forbes underscores her role in the company's growth."
6. Sonia Gandhi: "Heir the the famous dynasty, President of India's Congress Party."
7. Cynthia Carroll: CEO of Britain's Anglo American, "the world's second largest producer of aluminum."
8. Patricia A. Woertz: "CEO of the agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland," United States.
9. Irene B. Rosenfeld: "CEO of the American giant Kraft Foods."
10. Patricia Russo: Chief executive, Alcatel-Lucent, United States.
11. Michèle Alliot-Marie (right): "The Minister of the Interior is the 1st Frenchwoman to have been selected by Forbes. She's also served as the French Minister of Defense.
12. Christine Lagarde: "A political newcomer, Christine Lagarde is the Minister of Economics and Finance" in France, and is the 1st woman to hold that position in a G-7 country.
13. Anne M. Mulcahy: Chairman and CEO, Xerox, United States.
14. Anne Lauvergeon: "President of the board of Areva, a French nuclear concern."
15. Mary Sammons: Chairman, CEO, President, Rite Aid Corp., United States.
Others who appear on this year's top 100 list, in the legal, educational, and political arenas of particular interest to IntLawGrrls (omitted are business and television folks, as well as those whose claim rests solely on their marital link to an elected male leader):
20. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.23. Elizabeth II: Britain's Queen.
25. Hillary Rodham Clinton: U.S. Senator from New York and Presidential candidate.
26. Nancy Pelosi: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
27. Michelle Bachelet (left): President of Chile.
32. Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding: Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States.
37. Dr. Margaret Chan: Director-general, World Health Organization.
38. Helen Clark: Prime Minister of New Zealand.
39. Tzipi Livni: Foreign affairs Minister of Israel.
47. Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust: President of Harvard University.
50. Tarja Halonen: President of Finland.
51. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: President of the Philippines.
58. Mary McAleese: President of Ireland.
59. Dr. Neelie Kroes: from the Netherlands, serving as Commissioner for Competition for the European Union.
67. Dora Bakoyannis: Foreign Minister of Greece.
71. Aung San Suu Kyi: Nobel Peace Peacewinner, in 1990 elected leader of Myanmar but denied the post by the country's ruling junta.
81. Portia Simpson Miller: Prime Minister of Jamaica.
89. Luisa Diogo (right): Prime Minister of Mozambique.
92. Dr.
Sima Samar: Chairman, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.99. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi (left): Minister of the Economy, United Arab Emirates.
And last but by no means least:
100. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: President of Liberia.
A good list, but by no means complete. (Only 1 judge in the top 100? Alas, only 1 educator and no one from the arts?) Anyone missing whom you'd like to nominate?
