People, Places, Power | Season 2, Episode 41: Visions of Progress and Country Image

Note from the CPD Blog Manager: This post features the podcast People, Places, Power co-hosted by CPD Faculty Fellow Nicholas J. Cull and Good Country Index founder Simon Anholt and features their weekly discussions on international reputation, foreign policy and related issues along the way. 

Season 2 launched in May 2022 and covers nation-ranking indices, the impact of COVID-19 on national images, branding indices, transnational issues and much more.

Season 1: Ep. 1: Biden's America | Ep. 2: Brexit Britain | Ep. 3: In Search of the Good Leader | Ep. 4: The European Union | Ep. 5: What Price Monarchy? | Ep. 6:  Cities and International Image | Ep. 7: Mega Events? Buyer Beware. | Ep. 8: Germany: From Pariah to Paragon | Ep. 9: Culture: Decorative or Useful? | Ep. 10: Can Individuals Make a Difference? | Ep. 11: Migration Nations | Ep: 12: Credible India? | Ep. 13: The Bad Image | Ep. 14: Populism | Ep. 15: Oh, Canada! | Ep. 16: Digital Disruption: New Technology & Soft Power | Ep. 17: Japan at the Crossroads I Ep. 18: Scotland's Next Step | Ep. 19 Public Diplomacy and Place Branding | Ep. 20: The Talent Trade: Who's Looking for Einstein? | Ep. 21: France: Trouble at the Top? | Ep. 22: Systems and Structures: Organizing Public Diplomacy | Ep. 23: Trust: The Linchpin of Reputation | Ep. 24: Nordics: The Saga of Success? | Ep. 25: The Media: Friends or Foes of Country Image? | Ep. 26:  Israel: Branded by Conflict? | Ep. 27: Afghanistan

Season 2: Ep. 28: War in Ukraine | Ep. 29: Meet the Goodest: The Good Country Index for 2022 | Ep. 30: Issues in the Index: The Nation Brands Index, 2021 | Episode 31: Honest to God: The Image of Religions and other Transnational Groups | Episode 32: COVID-19, Image, Media and Communication | Ep. 33: What’s in a Name? Renaming Places as a Strategic Gambit | Ep. 34: The Power of “From:” The Country-of-Origin Effect | Ep. 35: Northern Ireland Peace and the Challenge of 'Relevance' | Ep. 36: The Power of Language | Ep. 37: For the Love of Mexico | Ep. 38: Of Greenwashing and 'Hipster Nations' | Ep. 39:  Italy: Rising or Falling? | Ep. 40: Nations and Truth: International Reputation in an Age of Disinformation

Episode 41: Visions of Progress and Country Image

This episode considers one of the problems of international relations today: the absence of the kind of compelling visions of the future that inspired international cooperation in the past. Nick argues that countries need a vision for stability and are finding that in distorted ideas of the past rather than an image of the future that might be open to collaboration. Simon notes that most people aren't aware of visions articulated at the transnational level. The conversation develops to include positive messages from the Nordics and other 'hipster' nations; negative messages in fiction and the stand-out case of China as a country that does look to the future and builds ideas about the future into its image and diplomacy. They consider whether apocalyptic ideas embedded in so many religions might hinder the articulation of visions of the future and the merits of different venues for presenting visions such as Expos or Disneyland's Tomorrowland. They conclude that the need for positive visions of the future is critical and that the space seems all too vacant.