USA--the Most Admired Country in the World

[Bud Struggle]

Well America seems to be doing something right. Obama is really changing the way people look at the US.

NEW YORK – October 5, 2009 – Brand America is now ranked #1 by global citizens, according to the GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media, a division of GfK Custom Research North America. Results from the 2009 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index(NBI), which measures the global image of 50 countries, show the United States taking the top spot as the country with the best overall brand, up from seventh last year.
"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 in 2009,” explains Simon Anholt, NBI founder and an independent advisor to over a dozen national governments around the world. "Despite recent economic turmoil, the U.S. actually gained significant ground. The results suggest that the new U.S. administration has been well received abroad and the American electorate’s decision to vote in President Obama has given the United States the status of the world’s most admired country.”

http://www.gfkamerica.com/newsroom/current_pr/index.en.html

[Skooma Addict]

Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award.

People love America because we are a beacon of Democracy. Our democratic system possesses a complex system of checks and balances in order to prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful. We also have a say in government, and that means we have a government for the people by the people.

[Demogorgon]

The Obama effect has been quite astounding when it comes to America's international image. How long it lasts, I don't know, but for now I have never seen anything like it.

[GPDP]

The Obama effect has been quite astounding when it comes to America's international image. How long it lasts, I don't know, but for now I have never seen anything like it.

Which is why I always direct such people to articles by Paul Street, who does an excellent job of revealing Obama's true colors as yet another run-of-the-mill politician who does his best not to rock the boat too much.

[Kwisatz Haderach]

People love America because we are a beacon of Democracy. Our democratic system possesses a complex system of checks and balances in order to prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful. We also have a say in government, and that means we have a government for the people by the people.
Right, because no other country in the world has a similar [pseudo-]democracy, no other country in the world has implemented the principle of separation of powers, and no other country in the world gives people a say in government. :rolleyes:

On a different topic, what are your plans for the summer of 1810?

[ls]

Ropey custom polls more liek.

Anyway, maybe they mean most admired for the most phenomenally fattest cops in the world.

[Skooma Addict]

Right, because no other country in the world has a similar [pseudo-]democracy, no other country in the world has implemented the principle of separation of powers, and no other country in the world gives people a say in government. :rolleyes:

On a different topic, what are your plans for the summer of 1810?

America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check. If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.

We need to spread democracy to other countries because democracies do not go to war with each other. So we need to go to war in order to prevent war.

Also, without our democracy, the poor would be starving and dying on the streets, and there would be giant monopolies run by robber barons.

[Demogorgon]

America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check. If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.

We need to spread democracy to other countries because democracies do not go to war with each other. So we need to go to war in order to prevent war.

Also, without our democracy, the poor would be starving and dying on the streets, and there would be giant monopolies run by robber barons.
I sense sarcasm, or at least I hope I do.

[NecroCommie]

Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award.

People love America because we are a beacon of Democracy. Our democratic system possesses a complex system of checks and balances in order to prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful. We also have a say in government, and that means we have a government for the people by the people.
I reeeally have to check: You are not being serious, are you?

[NecroCommie]

Well America seems to be doing something right. Obama is really changing the way people look at the US.

Being less warmongering, people hating twat than Bush is not an achievment, although alot of people seem to disagree with me on this one.

[Bud Struggle]

Being less warmongering, people hating twat than Bush is not an achievment, although alot of people seem to disagree with me on this one.

Well it's pretty interesting that the US could go from being a first rate bigoted country maybe 40 years ago to a country that elects someone like Obama. That's definitely a move in the right direction. And yes--he's no Revolutionary, but then again that's not what America wants at this particular time. Obama is good reflection of the kind of people Americans are at this particular time in history.

Not perfect to be sure--but definitely going in the right direction.

[Comrade Gwydion]

America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check. If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.

Nope. Nope, nope. First of: the separation of powers in not unique. Very much not unique. Even most dictatorships have an official separation of power. Second: Seperation of power, although a good thing, has nothing to do with democracy. I like to make my friends smile. This is a good thing, yet it has nothing to do with democracy.



We need to spread democracy to other countries because democracies do not go to war with each other. So we need to go to war in order to prevent war.

You are refering to democratic peace theory? Quite a flawed theory, in my opinion. It indeed states that democracy's don't go to war with other democracy's. The problem is that we have for example Israel, who is very keen on going to war with other democracy's, or Columbia / Venezuela, who also have multiple times been on the brink of war.
All of this is beside the point when the wars you wage only create new dictators: Karzai instead of Osama Bin Laden etc.


Also, without our democracy, the poor would be starving and dying on the streets, and there would be giant monopolies run by robber barons.

Again mate, don't confuse 'democracy' with things that it just isn't: Democracy is the principle of people's vote, that's it. It's not tied to capitalism, not to socialism and least of all, to you, conservatism and America. A capitalist democracy, the one you guys have, does have the consequence that in the western world, there are many poor starving and dying in their houses instead of on street, while in the poor nations the people are starving and dying while working on our stuff.
We, or at least most of us, at Revleft, also propose a democracy, albeit a socialist democracy, (very different from a social-democracy) where wealth would be distributed from each according to his ability to each according to his need, which would indeed mean wealth from us, to the poor among us and in the third world.

[mykittyhasaboner]

Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize?
The Nobel Peace Prize is a joke. Proof of this: Presidents of the United States can win the award.


Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award.I already knew Obama was a hypocrite, but thanks for pointing out that your as well.


People love America because we are a beacon of Democracy.
Only US nationalists 'love America'. If you think everyone just "loves" the US (particularly it's foreign policy) then why not venture outside he US and see for yourself.

Our democratic system possesses a complex system of checks and balances in order to prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
It doesn't matter how "separated" you think the US government is, because neither of them are on "the people's" side. They are institutions representing the ruling class, like all governments.


We also have a say in government, and that means we have a government for the people by the people.:lol: OK so voting every 4 years (if you can vote)for representatives of the capitalist class means "we"* have a say in governmental affairs? I didn't know the government asks the working and middle classes for consent before passing a bill or bailing out some failing corporation.

*It's funny that you say "we" so much. Just what do you mean by "we"?


America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check.
That doesn't explain how this supposedly unique system works.


If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.This is one of the most logically fallacious claims you've made so far. Please explain how that because there's a judicial branch that the US is a government "for the people by the people"?


We need to spread democracy to other countries because democracies do not go to war with each other. First, there is no such thing as "democracies". Please use actual definitions as far as types of government.

As for your blatantly false claim. Here you go.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_possible_exceptions_to_the_democratic_peac e_theory)


So we need to go to war in order to prevent war.
In the US's case? No. They need to go to war to make money.


Also, without our democracy, the poor would be starving and dying on the streets, and there would be giant monopolies run by robber barons.:lol::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:Im starting to think your just trolling.


Poverty in the United States is cyclical in nature with roughly 13 to 17% living below the federal poverty line at any given point in time, and roughly 40% falling below the poverty line at some point within a 10 year time span.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States#cite_note-1) Most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Hacker-2)

http://www.soundvision.com/Info/poor/statistics.asp

As for "robber baron monopolies", well I think the fact that the government just spend trillions of dollars to bailout corporations just to save their monopoly proves that monopolies play a large part in the economic facet of the US.


"The US, whose health care system is monopolised by corporations, has the worst infant mortality rate compared to 23 other wealthy countries whose health care system is still partly in public hands. US health care corporations are powerful lobbyists and generous financial benefactors to politicians on Capitol Hill. The US has 5% of the world's population and it spends 45% of the world's health dollars. Despite this, Americans' life expectancies are the lowest of 23 other wealthy nations' and lower than some Third World countries like Costa Rica. But not for long," I speculated. "Globalisation is exporting this model to the rest of the world." He seemed agitated, but I had to finish. "This can only mean that corporate health care creates sickness, disability and death, and profits from it," I said. "You can't say that," he hissed. "Yes I can," I answered. "No you can't," he repeated more grimly. "Why not?". "Because..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "It's classified." ----Eve Hilary meeting spook on plane trip.
(The Rise of the New Global Activist by Eve Hillary, Nexus Oct-Nov 2004)

[Bud Struggle]

Only US nationalists 'love America'. If you think everyone just "loves" the US (particularly it's foreign policy) then why not venture outside he US and see for yourself.


Except this WAS an international poll.

About the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM
Conducted annually in partnership between independent advisor Simon Anholt and GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media beginning in 2008, the Nation Brands IndexSM measures the image of 50 countries with respect to Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/Investment. Each year, approximately 20,000 adults ages 18 and up are interviewed online in 20 core panel countries.

[Demogorgon]

Except this WAS an international poll.
Yeah, though I don't know how accurate it is. However as I say there has been a very perceptible shift in attitudes towards America since Obama was elected. Two years ago "America" was pretty much a swearword here, but since Obama people look much more kindly on it. I think a combination of the fact that he isn't Bush, he is black and he is extremely charismatic have made people here loose their heads completely and express their undying love for him which in turn reflects well on America.

[Muzk]

Propaganda is a powerful weapon

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

To be honest although Obama has world class PR the real achievement lies with bush,Americans tend to be really friendly kind and helpful* quite how one man could project an image of such people to be obese drooling cowboys to the rest of the world is quite an achievement.


*This could be the case or it could just be that Brits dont like other people which lets face it is probably true.

[FreeFocus]

The Obama effect has been quite astounding when it comes to America's international image. How long it lasts, I don't know, but for now I have never seen anything like it.

Frankly, it's going to last at least a generation. I explored this in my article in my blog from last year after Obama's election.

It's also a damn shame, and shows that perceived reality is just as important as material reality.

[JohannGE]

From 6 March 2007 - so pre Obama but a very different picture from that Anholt-GfK Roper survey:-


The world’s most hated countries, and the winners are…!! (http://dr-mad.blogspot.com/2007/04/worlds-most-hated-countries-and-winners.html)


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9BPwOT9QGQ0/RhmGdYIkKdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/BldSICyGeGo/s400/_42645135_country_influ_gra203.gif (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9BPwOT9QGQ0/RhmGdYIkKdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/BldSICyGeGo/s1600-h/_42645135_country_influ_gra203.gif)

A majority of people believe that Israel and Iran have a mainly negative influence in the world, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests. It shows that the two countries are closely followed by the United States and North Korea.


The poll asked 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate a dozen countries plus the EU in terms of whether they have a positive or negative influence.
Canada, Japan and the EU are viewed most positively in the survey.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6421597.stm

[Dr Mindbender]

I'm fairly confident America is (one of) the most hated countries so in the grand scheme of things this doesnt change an awful lot.

Aggh! Ninja'd by JohannGE.

Ive got to say its quite ironic that despite the lambasting by the west for their flouting of human rights, and occupation of Tibet, China has managed to keep better PR than their main critics.

[GPDP]

To the posters replying to Olaf's posts: get your sarcasm detectors checked.

[Skooma Addict]

Nope. Nope, nope. First of: the separation of powers in not unique. Very much not unique. Even most dictatorships have an official separation of power. Second: Seperation of power, although a good thing, has nothing to do with democracy. I like to make my friends smile. This is a good thing, yet it has nothing to do with democracy.

But we have 3 branches of government and two parties competing against each other for support. So if one party becomes corrupt, the other party will be elected into power. We also have the constitution which says that what politicians can and cannot do. Politicians will always respect a constitution.



You are refering to democratic peace theory? Quite a flawed theory, in my opinion. It indeed states that democracy's don't go to war with other democracy's. The problem is that we have for example Israel, who is very keen on going to war with other democracy's, or Columbia / Venezuela, who also have multiple times been on the brink of war.
All of this is beside the point when the wars you wage only create new dictators: Karzai instead of Osama Bin Laden etc.


Well, if we can create democracies, we wont go to war. Israel is an exception, but other than that democracies don't go to war.


Again mate, don't confuse 'democracy' with things that it just isn't: Democracy is the principle of people's vote, that's it. It's not tied to capitalism, not to socialism and least of all, to you, conservatism and America. A capitalist democracy, the one you guys have, does have the consequence that in the western world, there are many poor starving and dying in their houses instead of on street, while in the poor nations the people are starving and dying while working on our stuff.
We, or at least most of us, at Revleft, also propose a democracy, albeit a socialist democracy, (very different from a social-democracy) where wealth would be distributed from each according to his ability to each according to his need, which would indeed mean wealth from us, to the poor among us and in the third world.

Very interesting. So you want to spread democracy to the workplace? So we would have a workplace for the people and by the people? But people in the third word are poor because they don't have democratic governments.



I already knew Obama was a hypocrite, but thanks for pointing out that your as well.

Obama is not a hypocrite. He is our leader, and he represents all of us. We have a government for the people by the people. Also, we did do some good by spreading democracy.


Only US nationalists 'love America'. If you think everyone just "loves" the US (particularly it's foreign policy) then why not venture outside he US and see for yourself.


I don't want to purchase products that are not made in America.



It doesn't matter how "separated" you think the US government is, because neither of them are on "the people's" side. They are institutions representing the ruling class, like all governments.


But you elected them as your leaders.


:lol: OK so voting every 4 years (if you can vote)for representatives of the capitalist class means "we"* have a say in governmental affairs? I didn't know the government asks the working and middle classes for consent before passing a bill or bailing out some failing corporation.

*It's funny that you say "we" so much. Just what do you mean by "we"?

We have a say in governmental affairs because we are a democracy. If you don't like your leader, vote him out of office. By "we", I mean the people of the nation.


This is one of the most logically fallacious claims you've made so far. Please explain how that because there's a judicial branch that the US is a government "for the people by the people"?

Because the judicial branch is one of the three branches of our democratic government. We put our best judges in the judicial branch, so we can count on them to uphold the best laws.


:lol::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:Im starting to think your just trolling.

No, from the very beginning I was being sarcastic. I thought it was fairly obvious, but apparently not. So I just decided to pretend I was your typical American conservative/democrat. I am actually offended that you thought I was being serious because honestly that is an insult to my intelligence.

[Dimentio]

Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award.

People love America because we are a beacon of Democracy. Our democratic system possesses a complex system of checks and balances in order to prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful. We also have a say in government, and that means we have a government for the people by the people.

I don't think most Non-americans understand or notice the differences between the American and the French, German and Swedish versions of democracy. But I generally think parliamentarism and proportional elections are owning the American system of republicanism.

And... you must generally be trolling in this thread. XD

[Bright Banana Beard]

Oh, let me play this game!

Why can we communely decide to pick our leader rather than their adversitement and campaign donation?

[Havet]

B
I don't want to purchase products that are not made in America.



What's with the nationalism lately?

Also, obama certainly doesn't deserve the peace nobel (http://www.revleft.com/vb/obama-worthy-nobeli-t119691/index.html).

[MilitantAnarchist]

Who's bothered.

[Skooma Addict]

What's with the nationalism lately?

Also, obama certainly doesn't deserve the peace nobel (http://www.revleft.com/vb/obama-worthy-nobeli-t119691/index.html).

I was not being serious. So don't worry, I am definitely not a nationalist.

[Havet]

I was not being serious. So don't worry, I am definitely not a nationalist.

Why the whole "wannabe cosplay" though?

[Skooma Addict]

Why the whole "wannabe cosplay" though?

what does "wannabe cosplay" mean?

[Havet]

what does "wannabe cosplay" mean?

why were you pretending to be a nationalist and to support obama's nobel prize? What was the purpose?

[Skooma Addict]

why were you pretending to be a nationalist and to support obama's nobel prize? What was the purpose?

At first I was just being sarcastic. I thought it was obvious I was not being serious when I said

"Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award."

But I guess I should have made it more clear that I was being sarcastic....

It was only after I realized I failed to make it apparent that I was joking that I started to pretend to be a nationalist. Basically a failure on my part.

[Havet]

At first I was just being sarcastic. I thought it was obvious I was not being serious when I said

"Of coarse Obama is doing something right! Why else would he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Sure, he may support wars where innocents are murdered and children are killed, but I still think he deserves the award."

But I guess I should have made it more clear that I was being sarcastic....

It was only after I realized I failed to make it apparent that I was joking that I started to pretend to be a nationalist. Basically a failure on my part.

But what for? What was the purpose of this theatrical behavior? Just to have a good time?

[Durruti's Ghost]

But what for? What was the purpose of this theatrical behavior? Just to have a good time?

He did it for the lulz. :rolleyes:

[Skooma Addict]

But what for? What was the purpose of this theatrical behavior? Just to have a good time?

I did it partly for entertainment, yes. It is kind of fun to pretend to be a typical American conservative/democrat. But I stopped because I didn't want to come off as trolling. I think I did a pretty good job though.

[Havet]

I did it partly for entertainment, yes. It is kind of fun to pretend to be a typical American conservative/democrat. But I stopped because I didn't want to come off as trolling. I think I did a pretty good job though.

You sure did.

[Cult of Reason]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yhN1IDLQjo

[brigadista]

America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check. If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.

We need to spread democracy to other countries because democracies do not go to war with each other. So we need to go to war in order to prevent war.

Also, without our democracy, the poor would be starving and dying on the streets, and there would be giant monopolies run by robber barons.


but no universal healthcare, an existing death penalty and no equal access to due process of the law - hmm

so are you saying that americans are no longer having to pretend to be canadians anymore?

[Jazzratt]

I feel embarassed that some of us are still taking Olaf's earlier posts seriously.

[RadioRaheem84]

OK, I guess I will be the first serious poster to defend some elements of the US system. I think that because of the workers struggles against capitalism in the early part of the last century, the US became a stronger democratic country. Because of it, I think that the US is much better nation for a small person to attempt to effect change even it leads to no avail, or achieve what they wish to achieve.

I believe this is so because the US has a much better record of class interaction. It's much easier for someone in the US (or it used to be) to work, meet, network and organize with someone of a totally different class. The upper class, politicians, and people in academia seem much more approachable than in other countries. Of course most of this is just efforts to climb the ladder of success or accumulate more material possessions but at least I feel that the US provides its citizens the opportunity to achieve these desires because it's the basic philosophy that runs this country; sell out and you will be be rewarded.

No offense to the Europeans, but I would much rather be in the US than there because of the reasons listed above. After visiting the EU I feel the social classes are much more evident and class antagonisms are pretty brutal. The upper class are grade A snobs and do not seem as approachable. There doesn't seem to be any respect for meritocracy among them. And some people want to make the US look more like the EU. HA!

[Orange Juche]

America has a unique system of checks and balances. If the executive branch becomes corrupt, the legislative branch can keep everything in check. If both the executive and legislative branch become corrupt...well...idk, but the judicial branch would makes sure stuff like that didn't happen. So we have a government for the people by the people. We are the government.

So America is receiving love and adoration for specifically having a two-housed congress, an executive office, and a judicial office which are supposed to balance eachother rather than a parliamentary system? Really?

[Havet]

See Olaf? I knew irony might be misinterpreted here.

[NecroCommie]

From 6 March 2007 - so pre Obama but a very different picture from that Anholt-GfK Roper survey:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6421597.stm
HAHA! Hell yeah! Notice how Israel is hated more than N-korea or Iran.