The Re-Branding Of America

This will make the neocon right mad:

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.

Now, of course, this needs to be accompanied with shrewd diplomacy and smart warfare. But those of us who saw Obama as a real chance to reboot the US' relations with the rest of the world and remove the taint of the Cheney era were not dreaming.