As per its custom, "Forbes" issued their list of the most powerful people in the world for this year. Topping the list was president of the United States, Barack Obama.

Though it could be a debatable choice, Obama bumped Chinese president, Hu Jintao, from the top spot thanks largely to the developments in the world arena.

While things on the domestic front remain unenthusiastic at best and U.S. economy has seen better, Obama's clout outside of the home front is at an advantage. By being responsible for the orchestration of the death of Osama Bin Laden, leader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Obama confirmed that the U.S. was still a country that fought against terror campaigns.

Months after, the U.S. participated in the NATO-led Libyan interposition; the move that eventually leads to Libyan tyrant, Gaddafi's death. "The US remains, indisputably, the most powerful nation in the world, with the largest, most innovative economy and the deadliest military," the publication explains.

Following in the second spot was Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who is running for president again. Putin is followed by the aforementioned president, Hun, then German chancellor, Angela Merken, who remains the most powerful woman in the planet. Merken's spot was secured primarily as Germany remains to be a strong economic player in the European market.

At number 5 was Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, no small thanks to a malaria vaccine whose funding had been backed by his benevolent foundation. As of press time, the first corporate executive on the list released a statement stating that the vaccine had already passed a crucial scientific trial. "Gates' goal is to eliminate infectious disease as a major cause of death in his lifetime. He may succeed," "Forbes" said.

A name that shot a remarkable 31 places was Mark Zuckerberg's in ninth place. "What the CIA failed to do in 60 years, Zuck [Zuckerberg] has done in 7: knowing what 800 million people think, read and listen to," is what "Forbes" had to say about the matter.