Right to the Top: World Leaders in the 2010s Quiz

Answer: Barack Obama

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961, graduated from Harvard Law School, and worked as a community organizer in Chicago before entering politics. After serving in the United States Senate (2005-2008), he defeated Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination for President. He went on to defeat John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election and Mitt Romney in 2012.

The United States of America is the largest economy in the world (World Bank 2012) and is the most technologically sophisticated, particularly in military terms.

Answer: Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping leads a country that is the second largest economy in the world (World Bank 2012). His policies call for continued market reforms and a renewed campaign against corruption. He is married to popular Chinese singer Peng Liyuan.

The market based reforms, begun by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, have produced double digit growth rates for most of the past three decades. If such rapid economic growth continues, China will become the largest economy in the world in the next decade.

Answer: Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel trained as a physical chemist after growing up in the former East Germany. As mentioned, she became leader of the Christian Democratic Union Party in 2005. In 2005, in a grand coalition with the Social Democrats, Merkel became the first female leader of Germany. Her political authority was reinforced by her re-election in 2009 where she increased her party's majority, in coalition with the Free Democrats.

As the largest economy in Europe, Germany exercises the leadership role in the European Union, often with France. Following the recent Euro crisis, Merkel has played the leading role in guaranteeing European fiscal stability.

Answer: Shinzo Abe

The 2012 elections saw the Liberal Democratic Party win 295 of 480 seats in the parliament. As leader of the party, Shinzo Abe became prime minister of Japan. His economic policies emphasized a growth strategy by encouraging private investment.

Thus, Abe's economic policies seek to overcome the stagnant state of the Japanese economy since the 1990s. Nevertheless, Japan has the fourth largest economy in the world (World Bank 2012) and the high level of Japanese domestic savings means that Japan plays a crucial role in extending credit to other countries.

Answer: David Cameron

David Cameron was elected to parliament in 2001, and became leader of the Conservative Party in October 2005. In the 2010 general election, the Conservatives won 49% of the vote and went into coalition with the Liberal Democrats to form the Government of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom has exercised considerable political, economic and social influence in the world, particularly in its former colonies such as the USA, India, Canada, Australia. The UK is the ninth largest economy (World Bank 2012) and plays a significant role in world affairs.

Answer: Dilma Rousseff

Dilma Rousseff's political beliefs were shaped during Brazil's military dictatorship were she participated in left-wing groups seeking to overthrow this junta. She was Chief of Staff to the former President, Luiz Incio Lula da Silva from 2005 to 2010 and had previously served as Minister for Mines and Energy (2003-5).

Brazil has a population of nearly 200 million and as the largest country in South America, exercises significant political and social influence on countries in its geographical area. It is the eighth largest economy in the world (World Bank 2013).

Answer: Francois Hollande

In the second round of the 2012 Presidential elections, Francois Hollande defeated Nicolas Sarkozy to become President of France. As leader of the French Socialist Party, he pledged to raise taxes on large corporations, banks and the wealthy while reducing unemployment and granting equal rights to same sex couples.

France has played a key role in the world, both in Europe and in its former colonies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Ocean. It has the seventh largest economy in the world (World Bank 2012).

Answer: True

Kevin Rudd led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election.
In June 2010, he lost the Party leadership to Julia Gillard with reasons cited being a dictatorial leadership style and lack of consultation.After serving as Foreign Minister, he launched an unsuccessful leadership challenge in February 2012. Julia Gillard's unpopularity with the electorate meant that the next leadership challenge in June 2013 was successful and Kevin Rudd again became Prime Minister of Australia!
As both a continent and country, Australia exercises considerable influence in its geographical region. As a developed polity and economy, it has sought to inculcate democratic values in the Oceania/South-East Asian region, particularly in developing nations such as the Solomon Islands, Fiji and East Timor.

Answer: Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh is a renowned economist who became Chief Economic Adviser to the Government in the late 1990s. He is married with three daughters. Singh is perceived by other leaders as a world statesman.

India,with 1.2 billion people, exercises considerable political and social influence in its geographical area, particularly in southern Asia. The introduction of market based reforms has led to rapid growth in the 1990s/2000s. The World Bank estimates that India has the third largest economy in the world( 2012)

Answer: Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin joined the security service of the former Soviet Union, the KGB from 1975 until 1991. He quickly rose up the political ranks under Boris Yeltsin's influence and in 1998 became Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Putin is a martial arts enthusiast, proficient in Judo and Karate. He is a fluent German speaker and advocate of outdoor sports.

Russia has a population of around 140 million and is abundant in natural resources, particularly oil and gas. It has considerable political influence in countries in its geographical region.