People Power

How do you define power? Is it how much money you have, the impact of the decisions you make, your intellect, how many people know your name?

In our Power 100 list we argue that power can be all of those things. The list includes not just business heavyweights such as Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World, but also scientists, sporting heroes, pop stars and fashion designers.

And while these people may appear to have very little in common, they all share a common trait; their ability to influence the population, both regionally and internationally.

While a star player in an Arab football team will not have the same amount of money or power in the business world as Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem for instance, his words and actions could have an equal or even greater impact in the Middle East.

Take for instance the 25-year-old captain of the Iraqi football team, Younes Mahmoud.

The reason why he can be considered one of the world's most powerful Arabs is because of the influence his actions have on his country. Mahmoud led his team to glory by scoring the winning goal against Saudi Arabia in the 2007 Asian Cup.

And in that moment he achieved what no army or regime had achieved before him - he united thousands of Sunnis and Shiites in celebration on the streets of Baghdad.

Of course there will always be very powerful people whose names remain unknown to the general public - the mystery investors, silent business partners, and discreet billionaires - but we have done our best to bring you the most comprehensive list of who we think are the world's most powerful Arabs.

And while in some cases the scope of their power and influence is limited to the Middle East - the region's phenomenal economic growth and the increasing presence of Arab brands on the international stage, means it won't be long before their names are known all over the world.

Diana Milne is the group editor of ITP Executive.

RELATED LINK: The Power 100 2008

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