Or, you know, not.
The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll.
It climbed from seventh place last year, ahead of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan which completed the top five nations in the Nation Brand Index (NBI).
"What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009," said Simon Anholt, the founder of NBI, which measured the global image of 50 countries each year.
He believes that during the previous administration of George W. Bush the United States suffered in the world ranking with its unpopular foreign policies but since Obama was elected, and despite the recent economic turmoil, the country's status has risen globally.
"There is no other explanation," Anholt said in an interview, referring to the impact of Obama.
Emphasis added.
Sure, it's easy to wave off a result like this and play the cynic's card of "So, then, why hasn't he fixed X yet?" But image matters, however hard it may be to quantify beyond holding popularity contests. You're entitled to think this result signifies little, but I for one am delighted to be first on this list. It's a good step in the right direction.
(h/t: Riley Waggaman)
1 comment:
I guess the one thing Obama has fixed (if he really hasn't fixed anything else as many claim) is our country's public image in the world. I though that's the one thing that would take a couple decades.
Post a Comment