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Oppenheimer Report : America's Brand/Image Greatly Improved By Obama Presidency, Colombia ranked 47th

America's `brand' may be on its way back
BY ANDRES OPPENHEIMER
aoppenheimer at MiamiHerald.com
********I was as surprised as everybody when I read on Friday that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, but I was much more surprised a few days earlier when an international poll showed that the United States has suddenly become the most admired country in the world. **********

*****Indeed, four days before the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded its prize to Obama for his efforts to reduce nuclear weapons and promote world peace, an Anholt-GfK Roper poll of more than 20,000 people in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa ranked the United States as the country with the best ``nation brand'' in the world. *******

Last year, the poll -- known as the nation brand index -- had placed Germany as the country with the best world image and the United States was ranked No. 7. The survey asks people in 20 countries to rate 50 nations in categories such as the quality of their exports, the friendliness of their people, the beauty of their landscape and their governance.

CHANGING IMAGE

*******In a telephone interview from his home base in Britain a day before the announcement of Obama's Peace Prize, the poll's founder, Simon Anholt, told me that Obama's election as the first African-American president in U.S. history has obviously helped change people's image of the United States. *********

``It's not just the way they see the U.S. government: Most of the other scores in the poll have gone up as well,'' Anholt said. *********``The one that has gone up the Most is `people,' which means that the world has forgiven the American people for having elected George W. Bush a second time.'' ***********

He added, ``Now, people think that the American people are nice once again. Even the score of the beauty of the American landscape has gone up this year. People think that the American landscape is beautiful again.''

Among Latin American countries, the one with the best international image this year was Brazil, which ranked 20th, followed by Argentina (23), Mexico (28), Chile (38), Peru (39), Cuba (44), Ecuador (46)*************** and Colombia (47)*******. Except for Brazil, all Latin American countries rank below Russia and China, and most are placed behind Egypt, India and Poland.**************************

*******Experts agree that a country's ``brand'' is increasingly important in a global economy because people buy products or decide to visit countries according to the image they have of them*******. People are willing to pay large sums of money for a Mercedes-Benz car in part because it's ``Made in Germany,'' whereas it would be difficult to sell the same car if it were made in a Fourth World country, they say.

SUPERPOWER

The new country brand poll -- and Obama's Nobel prize -- come amid an international consensus that America's days as the world's only superpower are pretty much over.

Just days earlier, the International Olympic Committee's decision to award the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro despite Obama's public personal effort to win that bid for Chicago had led many political analysts to interpret the news as evidence that the United States had lost its previous clout in world affairs.

In addition, last month's decision by the G-20 -- the club of the world's biggest economies -- to give greater clout to countries such as China, India and Brazil in world economic decisions, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick's forecast that the U.S. dollar will gradually lose its former strength to emerging country currencies had led to similar speculation about America's imminent demise.

On top of that, the latest international standardized tests show that Asian students continue to outperform their American counterparts in math and science, and bookstores from New York to Beijing are filled with new releases about China's rapid emergence as a new world superpower.

My opinion: I'm a bit skeptical about the conventional wisdom of America's imminent descent into a has-been superpower.

The U.S. economy is still bigger than that of the four countries that follow it combined. And if you take into account the new nation brand poll, Obama's Peace Prize and -- perhaps most importantly -- the fact that virtually all Nobel Prize winners in physics, chemistry and medicine announced last week were Americans, you may start to take the forecasts about the U.S. demise somewhat more in stride.

All superpowers eventually lose their might, and the United States will certainly be no exception to the rule. I'm just not convinced that it will happen overnight, or anytime in the near future.

By miamimike on Oct 10, 2009, 23:41 in Friendly Talkzone.

Simon says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:45:

Colombia is 47th because the rest of the world doesn't know jack shit about Colombia.

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

2 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:48:

funny, but NOT helpful, Simon.
Colombia is ,.. Rising Fast, but with a Long, Long way to go.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:49:

"behind Egypt, India and Poland"....

jajjajaj.. now, that's a slap in the face! 'behind Poland'.
Sorry, simonito....

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Simon says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:51:

"The survey asks people in 20 countries to rate 50 nations in categories such as the quality of their exports, the friendliness of their people, the beauty of their landscape and their governance."

Take for example two of these so-called categories, friendliness of the people and the landscapes. Even you Colombian-hating bozos (but who are infatuated with Colombia, nonetheless) know Colombia should kick ass in those two catergories!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

0 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:58:

simonito, what Colombian haters are you talking about??

friendliness of the people.
Okay. agreed.
Landscapes?
Que?
Las Montanas del Pechos de Mujeres?
Si.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Simon says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:58:

The real slap is that we're behind Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, etc. I mean, seriously... Ecuador? Give me a fokin' break!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

1 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:02:

cuba and ecuador.
I understand your lament

Peru, although I've yet to go there,..... not sure.
If only it was closer (to eeuu)

come on, dudito.....Peru and Colombia leading the way in the Coca Industries!
to stabilize their economies

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

billyb says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:11:

Most people in most countries are ignorant, ignorant of their own countries, and even more ignorant of countries they have never been to. Countries of which they don't know anybody from, and worse, they get their perspective from dumbassed down to lowest common denominator shows and movies. Who the fuck gives a shit what perception some ignorant alcoholic Romanian janitor has of Colombia?

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:20:

Simon says on Oct 10, 2009, 23:58: flag

The real slap is that we're behind Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, etc. I mean, seriously... Ecuador? Give me a fokin' break!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simon Chill out! Fire up a Fat One or something! It is what it is ! Maybe Colombia needs a Prez Obama to float its Image up a tad! LOL

I thought I read in another recent post by you that you like Andres Oppenheimer,,,

Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte de

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Simon says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:21:

No thanks....we already have a Prez Uribe and we're fine with that! LOL

And I do like Oppenheimer (most of the times) but it's not like he came up with this poll.

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:30:

G_S---with your derogatory comments about Poland shows your limited command of Past and Present world Culture & History! Poland has made a lot of contributions and were great fighters and Allies during WW2.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Simon says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:32:

Hey, Pope John Paul II was from Poland!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Oct 11, 2009, 00:37:

Bingo Simon! One of the most influential Popes of all times!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 11, 2009, 02:53:

This is a absolut usless statistic, the colombians have to define what they want and not the people from outside.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

chingon says on Oct 11, 2009, 07:12:

perception is reality. We have the same policies, are about to increase military presence in Afghanistan to colombia...Economy is getting worse, Defecits growing , debt rising.... but as long as we look good and have the poster boy the media wants i guess that is ok

0 funny, 1 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 11, 2009, 09:41:

mike, mike...miamimike....please,...
do I have to find another Don Rickles video???
lol

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 11, 2009, 09:42:

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 11, 2009, 09:49:

a little more politically/personally incorrect joking,.. .are you german? israeli? Scottish?... canadian? insecuridad, joven??? polish????? jajaj...
listen up...

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Oct 11, 2009, 11:19:

None of the above, don't even resemble Rickles. I was thinking he was your double doubling judging from the speech/writing patterns and topics. BTW, do you wear Depends? ha ha

1 funny, 0 helpful.

goin_south says on Oct 11, 2009, 14:37:

Well, a duck chits where ever he wants, no?
__________

the capacity to laugh at one's self.... a virtue, mike...., and one that seems a lost art, both here on pbh, and in the world. si?
________

RJ,... meet me in BGT next week. It was headline news, your store went belly up, because you left ;-(( . You may as well start a new life in Col.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

cali373 says on Oct 13, 2009, 08:35:

After Bush, any presidency makes the USA look better.

Smile if you are a thinker!

0 funny, 0 helpful.