10 Powerful People to Know: OZY’s 100

www.ozy.com [OZY]( OZY A Modern Media Company Share This Sh*t January 04, 2023 Share This Sh*t [The drop]( 10 POWERFUL PEOPLE TO KNOW: OZY’S 100 Power comes in many forms — and it’s often not pretty. Sponsored by [Cariuma]( Isaias Afwerki This 76-year-old has been the president of Eritrea since its 1991 independence, and yet not a single citizen has ever voted for him. And why would they? It’s been years of crushing despotism, where torture is routine, prisons are overstuffed and the inmates are often there for political reasons. [Read More on OZY]( Alexander Lukashenko Condoleezza Rice has called him “Europe’s last dictator,” and he’s playing his role to the hilt. President of Belarus for more than two decades, Lukashenko has ruled the former Soviet state with an iron fist that would make the Kremlin proud. He censors the press, sends human rights activists to labor camps and gets rid of political rivals, either by throwing them in jail or, in the case of his former prime minister and head of the opposition, making them disappear. [Read More on OZY]( King Mswati III Mswati has used his concentrated power in Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, to feed his every despotic need. For one, he is reported to force young women to marry him whenever the spirit moves him. This despot, who became king at 18, has many wives and an indefinite number of luxury cars. He may cut a cartoonish figure, but his corrupt ways are no laughing matter. [Read More on OZY]( ADVERTISEMENT [New Year, New Sneakers]( Hello, 2023! 🥳 Now that the holiday season is behind us, and we’re looking ahead to the new year, it’s time to talk about all the resolutions on our list. From new gym routines to picking up new hobbies, to shopping sustainably, there’s sure to be a case for a new pair of sneakers. What better way than to rock the celeb-loved OCA Lows from the cool, sustainable sneaker brand, [Cariuma](? Made with, organic cotton, natural rubber, and recycled plastics, these beauties are sure to provide you with a cool, classic look that you’ll want to rock long after you’ve checked off your new year’s to-dos. And we can’t forget to mention that they’ve made all-star appearances in Vogue, Rolling Stone, GQ, and more. Snag a pair with your personalized code, [OZYJAN for 15% off]( any pair to get your new year started! [SHOP NOW]( J.J. Rendón Some call him the Latin American Karl Rove. A Venezuelan living in exile in Florida, J.J. Rendón hates socialism with a passion — and the political strategist has promoted the right and done battle with leftists across Latin America. He doesn’t always win (see: Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador), but he’s built up an impressive roster of presidents (see: Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos). [Read More on OZY]( Serigne Bassirou Abdou Khadre Mbacké Mbacké is the key mediator between the Senegalese government and the millions-strong Mouride Sufi brotherhood, one of Senegal’s biggest Sunni brotherhoods. And even though Mbacké does not hold an official post, just about any project around the holy city of Touba runs through him. [Read More on OZY]( Judit Varga Varga, Hungary’s justice minister, is the telegenic face of Viktor Orbán’s government as it clashes with Europe, and her stalwart advocacy is upending gender politics in Hungary. The tall Fidesz politician is media savvy and has broadcast her many talents to the world. [Read More on OZY]( Swaminathan Gurumurthy Despite not being an economist, Gurumurthy managed to become a director of the Reserve Bank of India and one of the most important voices driving economic policy in India. He was the key hidden voice behind the nation’s controversial 2016 “demonetization” of high-value banknotes. 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[SHOP HERE]( NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Maxwell Anikwenwa If this teacher-turned-clergyman for the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is indeed a door to power, he would open without a creak. Such is his voice: calm, affectionate and authoritative without seeming imposing. Archbishop Emeritus Anikwenwa does not seem to want notoriety. He operates in the shadows, continuously consulting with politicians seeking electoral victory. [Read More on OZY]( Hojatoleslam Seyed Mahmoud Alavi During the 2019 tensions between Iran and the U.S. over a downed U.S. drone, there was one key figure caught in the middle: Hojatoleslam Seyed Mahmoud Alavi, a conservative cleric and Iran’s minister of intelligence. An unlikely spy chief, Alavi was emblematic of the multiple power centers vying for control within Iran. He was widely seen as close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Yet at the same time, he was also the sword arm of reformist President Hassan Rouhani’s turf war with Tehran’s hardliners. [Read More on OZY]( Mohamed Lamine Mediène The most powerful man in Algeria has no public face, according to OZY’s 2013 profile of him.  His name is Mohamed Lamine Mediène. Everyone calls him “Toufik.” Another nickname is the “God of Algiers,” supposedly because he’s more powerful than the president. No official photograph of Mediène has ever been made public. The pictures of him that do exist are few and blurry, and may be decades old. [Read More on OZY]( Who is a powerful figure that you feel more people should know about? Tell us about them. 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