21 April, 2011

Time's most influential: From Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim to Justin Bieber


The Time magazine list of most influential people in the world in 2011 is led by Wael Ghonim,the young Google Executive who was the face and spokesman for the popular uprising in Egypt.



"By emphasizing that the regime would listen only when citizens exercised their right of peaceful demonstration and civil disobedience, Wael helped initiate a call for a peaceful revolution," Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, writes in brief essay about about Ghonim. "The response was miraculous: a movement that started with thousands on Jan. 25 ended with 12 million Egyptians removing Hosni Mubarak and his regime. What Wael and the young Egyptians did spread like wildfire across the Arab world."
As always, Time's list ranges wide -- from Vice President Joe Biden to Wikileaks' Julian Assange. There's Oscar-wining actor Colin Firth, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Also on the list: singer Justin Bieber, House Speaker John Boehner, and Gen. David Petraeus. Not to mention "Tiger Mom" Amy Chua.
Michelle Obama is there, a few notches ahead of her husband, Barack. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., makes the cut as does German Chancellor Angela Merkel.