I most certainly understand not picking Ivanka but Merkel?
Pick a name to beat her.
Fair question. Now the title is woman of the year. Generally this is taken as the most powerful.
Merkel is a supporter of the E.U. and the E.U just recently lost pretty big in the U.K. elections. Her influence within the E.U. is also waning.
EU Compromise Exposes Merkel’s Waning Influence
Now as far as powerful........I am not arguing this as support of her as I do not but I would most certainly argue that in the last year that Pelosi has been more powerful. She's been able to stop most anything Trump wanted to do legislatively. She had led the impeachment process through the House.
Now I believe if you ask this question this time next year that we very well find differently but as far as for now? There is my answer.
I partly agree. But then, what exactly is Trump's legislative agenda? I mean, other than getting a budget through there is nothing. A budget certainly is important, and over that Pelosi actually has some influence (together with the Senate), but other than that, Pelosi's legislative agenda has McConnell's arse-prints on it. In terms of actual power, Impeachment is perfectly inconsequential, and, if the rightards' pipe dreams of a mobilized reactionary backlash come to fruition, it might even blow up in the Democrats' and Pelosi's faces. Compared to the head of government of one of the more important states, and with outsize influence over the world's largest trading block, naw, Pelosi can't compete. Were she able to make a case for conviction so compelling as to bend McConnell and effect Trump's removal, I'd concede, but she can't and won't.
Also, the EU hasn't "lost" in the recent UK election. They are actually fine with the result, as it leads to clarity as to the course ahead, and at least a justifiable hope in case BoJo shows up and signs an agreement, he can actually marshal the parliamentary votes to get things done.
That said, I'd posit that Lagarde, shaping monetary policy in the EU along with EU economies for years to come, would have been the better choice than a Merkel on her way out.