VisitBritain’s ‘GREAT Britain’ campaign also draws together major events, sporting achievements and commercial partners to promote the UK as a great country in which to live, study, invest and do business – as well as to visit. In my book, the GREAT Britain campaign is a real winner. So what can it teach those of us in branding and brand management about the principles of country branding?

On the occasion of the commemoration of the "United Nations Day", Mr. Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, the Head of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah) deeclared "UN is the only forum where we can learn from each other by working together, dreaming together the same dream, and to carry out these same hopes for the future generations."

We spend a lot of time looking at country rankings--everything from the best places in the world to be a woman to the worst countries for food security. These realities on the ground all feed into overall perception--or branding--of countries. If perception is favorable, that can translate into investments as well as commercial and economic development. And that, if done right, can lead to better lives for all citizens.

The Swedish government cut £1.86m (20 million Swedish krona) from the tourism organisation’s budget of £13.04m (140 million Swedish krona), after which it chose to cut one sector, rather than embark on a widespread reorganisation.

The latest weapon in this country’s ideological war with Iran arrived in an armada of jets from California, accompanied by a private security force, dazzling pyrotechnics and a wardrobe that consisted of sequins and not much else.

The worst of the anti-Japanese protests that have swept China in recent days may be over. The financial fallout for the world’s second- and third-biggest economies may be just beginning. Japanese-owned factories, restaurants, mini-marts and clothing retailers across China closed en masse Tuesday as protests continued in nearly 100 cities, sparked by a dispute over control of uninhabited islands near Taiwan.

The Gambian, Namibian, Tanzanian, Zambian, and Zimbabwean ministers joined senior representatives from the Africa Development Bank, African Union, Global Partnerships Forum, and UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to speak about the benefits of tourism in relation to the economy, environment and people.

Remember the UK's swinging Cool Britannia nation branding effort under Prime Minister Tony Blair? Now Mulberry is looking to revive pride in all things British with its just-launched Brilliant Britain Guide. Sub-titled "a guide to a truly great nation," it's a branded content marketing move to continue the celebratory year that 2012 represents for the United Kingdom, from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to a successful Olympics and Paralympics