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This is about peoples perceptions more then it is on facts. But boy has peoples perceptions of America's freedoms gone down the toilet.
"Germany appears to have benefited not only from the sports prowess it displayed … at the FIFA World Cup championship, but also by solidifying its perceived leadership in Europe through a robust economy and steady political stewardship," said Simon Anholt, who created the index in 2005.
USA TODAY
Brazil's World Cup dream shattered against Germany
The index is compiled from a total of 20,125 interviews with people in 20 countries, according to Anholt-GfK, which is based in Denmark.
The result was welcomed by Alan Posener, a commentator and blogger for Berlin's Die Welt newspaper. "As a German of the baby boomer generation, I can remember a time when many Germans my age would speak English when abroad so as to hide their nationality," he wrote. "German children might find themselves ostracized on a Danish beach. German teens on a pilgrimage to Swinging London might be confronted by people giving them the Nazi salute."
The USA, which held first place since 2009 and is still seen as No. 1 one in creativity, contemporary culture and educational institutions, suffered from its perceived shaky record in global peace and security.
"In a year of various international confrontations, the United States has lost significant ground where tension has been felt the most acutely," said Xiaoyan Zhao, senior vice president and director of the index.
The Teutonic powerhouse knocked the United States from its longtime perch at the top of the ratings, which measure "twenty-three different attributes that make up the six overall dimensions on which national image is based."
"Germany appears to have benefited not only from the sports prowess it displayed … at the FIFA World Cup championship, but also by solidifying its perceived leadership in Europe through a robust economy and steady political stewardship," said Simon Anholt, who created the index in 2005.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/18/germany-is-the-worlds-favorite-country-survey-says/19221047/