I disagree. Gore, Rowling(!) and Hu Jintao probably wouldn't even make my list at all. Petraeus might make my list but while his role is talked about often it is still a role that time will tell his success (and for some any violence will be reason enough to cry defeat).

Internal Russian politics have been in the news : assassinations, arrests etc. Putin controls much of Europe's natural gas and Europe's overland access to asia and has taken a destabilizing role against the Republic of Georgia. I haven't kept up with its relationship with other former Soviet states. But consider that Russia still has UN veto(and isn't shy about threatening to use it), is building (or has built) Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, is shipping nuclear fuel to Iran and seems to be playing the west and Iran against each other for the sake of it... Imagine if he announced that any attack against Iran would provoke an unspecified response from Russia. Russia still has ICBMs and would make me very uneasy if they became belligerent or even threatened belligerence. Sure, he isn't crazy but he could doubtlessly gain concessions. Like it or not, what Putin decides with regard to Iran and Russia's role in the world will be important.