The Top 10 Most Important People of 2007

This is a top ten list, but it's in no particular order. I have enough difficulty choosing ten, let alone ranking them! You won't necessarily see all of the big news makers here. Britney Spears gets plenty of press, but I just don't see her problems having a huge influence on the rest of the world. Who does have an influence? Read on.

Al Gore
An Inconvenient Truth, global warming, and a Nobel Peace Prize. Need I say more? All that's left is for him to declare himself a candidate for President. But truthfully, we do need to listen to this man. What he's telling us about global warming will affect us for generations to come.

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah shows up on a lot of power lists. We know people listen to her, whether she's telling them which books to read or which foods not to eat. Now she's stepped into the political arena with an endorsement for Barack Obama. Will her influence show here, too?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President Bush is still threatening military action against Iran, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the President of Iran. Does that really mean anything? According to the Iranian constitution, he actually has less power than Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a Shi'ite cleric who was president from 1981 to 1989. Ahmadinejad is, however, the face of Iran to the world right now, and with his wild, anti-Semitic and anti-U.S. statements, he gets the attention and thus has the power to influence millions of people in the Middle East.

Vladimir Putin
TIME Magazine has chosen Putin as its Person of the Year, not because they approve of his leadership, but because of his influence and power. Putin is near the end of his eight years as President, and has made Russia more financially stable while also limiting many democratic freedoms, such as a free press. Russia is stronger now than it was, but are the people better off? Putin's popularity ratings are normally around 70%, so they seem to be OK with this.