We're tops (well, nearly)

We British are nearly unique in routinely talking our country down. Nationalism is seen by many as a dirty word that conjures up images of skinheads and blokes with St George's Crosses tattooed onto their ample bellies.

Perhaps this is a result of the fact we were once the world's pre-eminent superpower, and have slowly lost that position. Not a week seems to go by without someone writing with relish about the prospect of our leaving the G8 or the UNSC.

It's therefore interesting to see that, according to one study at least, we are the second strongest global power, behind the US.

http://www.europeangeostrategy.org/2014/01/european-geostrategy-audit-major-powers-worlds-fifteen-most-powerful-countries-2014/

These sorts of studies are almost always bogus, taking only a handful of criteria, not all of which can be accurately measured. But on the face of it, this study seems to include some interesting factors such as diplomatic influence and cultural pull, well away from the classic measures such as GDP or PPP.