# So what is the greatest nation in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133 "2011-10-10T01:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/121 "2011-10-13T19:15:58Z")
I’m surprised nobody posted Kazakhstan. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/122 "2011-10-13T19:21:47Z")
We would have, but nobody can spell it. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/123 "2011-10-13T19:36:50Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > The UK used to have a great importance worldwide, but today not nearly as much. So it might very well have been the greatest country in the world at some point (the 19th century, for example), but today I’m not convinced. > > And what is the importance of it being English-speaking? Well obviously it’s less important than it used to be - it used to rule, what, a third or so of the globe? Nowhere to go from there but down. And even though it’s not number 1 (or 2, or 3) right now, the point is that it still punches above its weight. It’s a country with influence, a country that “matters”. Re. being English-speaking, it just seems to me like a huge advantage in this world. English is the language of so much of global commerce, science, travel, technology, culture, that it’s a leg up if it’s your native tongue. English is probably tops in this regard, but if you at least speak _some_ world language it works out. (With that in mind, France may be a contender for greatest country, or, to a lesser extent, Germany.) Finland, I’m sure, is great - but if you can only speak to 6 million or so other people in your native tongue, it kind of sets you back. (Though considering that most Finns I’ve met are near fluent in English, it may be a moot point…) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/124 "2011-10-13T19:40:37Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Re. being English-speaking, it just seems to me like a huge advantage in this world. But we speak English in the USA. The British speak strange dialect. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/125 "2011-10-13T20:35:43Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > And even though it’s not number 1 (or 2, or 3) right now, the point is that it still punches above its weight. It’s a country with influence, a country that “matters”. In terms of foreign policy, just to give an example, it seems to me that the UK is largely following the US’s lead rather than setting their own path. So I’m not sure they’re all that influential. > [@](#): > > Re. being English-speaking, it just seems to me like a huge advantage in this world. English is the language of so much of global commerce, science, travel, technology, culture, that it’s a leg up if it’s your native tongue. British _citizens_ may individually find it helpful to speak English natively, but in terms of the UK being a great country (as defined by the OP, i.e. an influential country that is a force for good in the world), I don’t see what it really changes. Keep in mind that if English is an important international language today, it’s more due to the US than to the UK. It seems to me that UK influence is largely a thing of the past. (Not that it’s not a good country to live in today, of course. It certainly is.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/126 "2011-10-13T21:06:28Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Or maybe not - maybe there’s really something significantly different about the US that is drawing those Canadians in. Or maybe Americans are just homebodies who are unusually loathe to emigrate, and that accounts for the disparity. Still, it’s interesting - and strange. It’s really not all that strange; a lot of Canadians, especially retired ones, decamp for Florida or Arizona to take advantage of the weather once they’re done their careers. Some only go part time, but some just go whole hog. Canada is a wonderful country but the weather is unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/127 "2011-10-13T23:22:07Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > It seems to me that UK influence is largely a thing of the past. I think it’s astonishingly influential in many arenas. There’s a hell of a lot of “biggest in the world” from the UK. From rock bands to novel series to movie franchises to the theater industry to sports teams … it goes on and on. Sure, it’s not a military giant like the US (but who is?), but it’s a nuke power which makes it effectively uninvadeable (that’s not even a word!), and its forces and intelligence services are top-notch. It’s home to the biggest broadcaster on the planet, London’s financial district is one of the three financial capitals of the world (NY, Tokyo, London), it has enormous cultural cachet.. the list goes on. The largest TV show on the planet (American Idol) - produced and created by, and until recently starring, Brits. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the greatest, but one cannot deny it has an astonishing amount of influence in the world which belies its size. It punches far, far above its weight. Heck, I saw Americans talking about Jedward on this board today, something I never thought could happen! I don’t think the UK’s influence is in the past. It’s present now in so very many areas. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/128 "2011-10-14T00:55:30Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > but it’s a nuke power which makes it effectively uninvadeable “I do not say, my Lords, that the French will not come. I say only they will not come by sea”-Admiral Jervis ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/129 "2011-10-14T01:29:48Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > That’s a black mark against it, not a positive. That’s a matter of opinion. You know what they say about opinions … ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/130 "2011-10-14T08:33:08Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > English is probably tops in this regard, but if you at least speak _some_ world language it works out. (With that in mind, France may be a contender for greatest country, or, to a lesser extent, Germany.) Seeing as you totally forgot Spain, I’d say that you havent put much thought on the subject. > [@Candyman74](#): > > I think it’s astonishingly influential in many arenas. There’s a hell of a lot of “biggest in the world” from the UK. From rock bands to novel series to movie franchises to the theater industry to sports teams … it goes on and on. Sure, it’s not a military giant like the US (but who is?), but it’s a nuke power which makes it effectively uninvadeable (that’s not even a word!), and its forces and intelligence services are top-notch. It’s home to the biggest broadcaster on the planet, London’s financial district is one of the three financial capitals of the world (NY, Tokyo, London), it has enormous cultural cachet.. the list goes on. The largest TV show on the planet (American Idol) - produced and created by, and until recently starring, Brits. > > I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the greatest, but one cannot deny it has an astonishing amount of influence in the world which belies its size. It punches far, far above its weight. Heck, I saw Americans talking about Jedward on this board today, something I never thought could happen! > > I don’t think the UK’s influence is in the past. It’s present now in so very many areas. All of your qualifiers could apply to France. And, yet, it wouldnt cross my mind to call France “the Greatest Nation On Earth” (but as I’m not American, I dont go for schoolyard dick contests reduxes anyway). In fact, if you look at the usual numbers for assessing the “level” of a nation, France and the UK are incredibly close, and have been so for a few decades now. You cant be so close to France’s level and call yourself “Grandest Nation On God’s Earth”, at least not without a chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/131 "2011-10-14T09:46:56Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > “I do not say, my Lords, that the French will not come. I say only they will not come by sea”-Admiral Jervis We should never have built that damn Channel Tunnel. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/132 "2011-10-14T09:52:54Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Seeing as you totally forgot Spain, I’d say that you havent put much thought on the subject. Spanish is not as widely spoken as English. [Linky](http://listverse.com/2008/06/26/top-10-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/) > [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > All of your qualifiers could apply to France. And, yet, it wouldnt cross my mind to call France “the Greatest Nation On Earth” (but as I’m not American, I dont go for schoolyard dick contests reduxes anyway). In fact, if you look at the usual numbers for assessing the “level” of a nation, France and the UK are incredibly close, and have been so for a few decades now. > You cant be so close to France’s level and call yourself “Grandest Nation On God’s Earth”, at least not without a chuckle. He didn’t say the UK was the ‘greatest nation on God’s earth’, he was merely pointing out that to say its influence is in the past is wrong. Doesn’t mean France (or Germany, or USA or China or god knows who else) isn’t also influential. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/133 "2011-10-14T09:55:42Z")
i will also say russia is the greatest nation in the world because of its size, amount of natural resources both tapped and untapped, its great diversity, it’s level of industrial, cultural and intellectual development (somehat late compared with western europe and the US but fast nevertheless.) lastly, it has the political will to use nukes. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/134 "2011-10-14T11:15:58Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Seeing as you totally forgot Spain, I’d say that you havent put much thought on the subject. > > All of your qualifiers could apply to France. And, yet, it wouldnt cross my mind to call France “the Greatest Nation On Earth” (but as I’m not American, I dont go for schoolyard dick contests reduxes anyway). In fact, if you look at the usual numbers for assessing the “level” of a nation, France and the UK are incredibly close, and have been so for a few decades now. > You cant be so close to France’s level and call yourself “Grandest Nation On God’s Earth”, at least not without a chuckle. Well, two points: 1. I specifically said I _wouldn’t_ call the UK the greatest nation on earth (indeed, you quoted me doing so). I merely disagreed that the UK’s influence was in the past. 2. I’d very much disagree that all the qualifiers could apply to France. In fact, of those I listed, only the military qualifiers do. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/135 "2011-10-14T20:27:54Z")
Svalbard ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/136 "2011-10-14T21:03:24Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > \ > > lastly, it has the political will to use nukes. Sure, but all the plutonium has been stolen out of them by now. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/137 "2011-10-14T21:08:45Z")
I’m going to have to go for Freedonia. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/138 "2011-10-14T21:10:29Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I can’t see how it is all bad even for an atheist-missionaries do a lot of social work-educating kids, digging wells and that sort of thing and end barbaric practices like cannibalism and racial hatred. Where have missionaries ended racial hatred? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/139 "2011-10-15T02:27:39Z")
Gondwanaland? ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133/140 "2011-10-15T12:55:24Z")
I wont list what I think the best country is in the world is. But I’ll list the top three in no particular order, I’d want to live in if I had to choose. The U.S., Australia or Canada. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/599133.md?page=8)