NEW YORK, 19 JANUARY 2010--In the annual "Leaders to Watch" report released today, Eurasia Group identified the top 10 leaders who are expected to shape global politics in 2010. In first place, is Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who successfully steered China through the worst of the economic crisis, but now faces the challenge of shifting policy from stimulating the economy to containing inflation and preventing asset bubbles.
Second, is US President Barak Obama, who faces a year that the report claims may define his presidency. Premier Wen Jiabao and President Barack Obama represent the two sides of Eurasia Group's Top Risk for 2010: US-China relations. Similarly, the other Leaders to Watch will also be engaged with some of 2010's most daunting global challenges, as well as opportunities.
Tory leader David Cameron (4) and European Commissioner Olli Rehn (10) will have two of the hardest jobs in Europe this year-managing the political pressures that attend the latter stages of the economic downturn. Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (6) and General Ashfaq Kayani (7) will be key figures in the dangerous geopolitical dramas playing out in Iran and Pakistan.
On a more positive note, both President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (5) and leader of the Democratic Party of Japan Ichiro Ozawa (3), in the twilight of their political careers, have the opportunity to cement their political legacies. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (8) and Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (9) are the leaders of two countries that made our list of Red Herrings this year; in large measure, it is their consolidation of power that has brought stability to their respective nations, lowered risk in both countries, and making them Leaders to Watch.
To read the full report, please CLICK HERE.
Contact:
Ms. Alex Lloyd, Director of Communications
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Eurasia Group is the world's leading global political risk research and consulting firm. Since 1998, it has helped clients make informed business decisions in countries where understanding the political landscape is critical. The firm's research analysts are trained social scientists with post-graduate degrees, extensive professional experience, and a diverse range of language capabilities. Headquartered in New York, Eurasia Group also has offices in Washington and London, as well as a network of experts around the world. For more information, please visit www.eurasiagroup.net.
