The Verdict? The Nation Brands Index 2022 and Russia's fall from grace.

People, Places, Power by Nick Cull & Simon Anholt

Episode notes

In this season finale Simon and Nick discuss the recently published findings of the 2022 version of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index. The most noticeable result is that Russia has fallen from 27th place in 2021 to 58th, a dive unlike any other in the history of the index reflecting the international community's alarm at the invasion of Ukraine. They note that Ukraine has not jumped forward in an analogous way, but merely continues to show a gradual improvement in its standing. Simon and Nick discuss these and other features of the new index including the UK dropping out of the top 5, the continuation of German in the top spot and the US remaining 8th. Other issues include a decline of interest in traveling to other places in general and an improvement in the image of Israel.