The United States has failed to keep the world leader tag and Britain for the first time has toppled the U.S. as the most powerful nation on earth, reveals a new survey.
The yearly "Global Soft Power" survey by the Monocle magazine lists the UK as the most powerful nation taking into account the successful execution of London Olympics, international reach of British media and the huge popularity of the latest James Bond film and music stars.
While Britain topped the list, the U.S. was ranked second with Germany, France and Sweden rounding out the top five. Using a matrix of 50 factors, the survey found from Danny Boyle's inspiring Olympic opening ceremony, Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France, Andy Murray's first Grand Slam title in New York, the 22 British pop music albums that made it to the No. 1 spot on foreign charts, and 29 million international tourists who visited the country this year - showcase the British influence over the rest of the world.
Coined by a Harvard academic in 1990, the survey defines how countries use attraction and persuasion, rather than coercion or payment, to change behaviour, The Independent reported. It ranked the world countries on their diplomatic infrastructure, standard of government, capacity for education, cultural output and appeal to business.
"There's been a fantastic momentum in Britain this year. And at Monocle we're the biggest critics of this place, too," Monocle's editor-in-chief, Tyler Brûlé told The Independent. "This is a good example of where you can't deny the Olympics were very important, from a global promoting point of view, this year. People even felt good about the Union Jack. There was something happening this side of the Atlantic that sucked the wind out of America's sails. The US has been very inward-looking with the election. America goes on to this more domestic footing - even more than usual - when there's an election."
