, Columnist
Brexit Killed Britain's New Vibe
The U.K. has been working on its image since the late 1990s. Now it has to start over.
Soft power.
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The U.K.'s enormous soft power, painstakingly built in the post-imperial era, looks weakened following Brexit. In fact, negotiating acceptable divorce terms or preventing an economic decline may prove much easier than restoring British influence.
Some early indications of how Brexit has damaged the U.K.'s international perception can be found in a recent Ipsos poll conducted in 16 countries. In all of them except Russia, India and the U.S., a plurality says Brexit will weaken the U.K.; 64 percent of Germans and, for example, 44 percent of Canadians think so -- while only 13 percent and 15 percent in these countries believe the U.K. will be strengthened.