Yes, I am reading your chart backwards. I for one welcome our new Latvian overlords.
Japan.
The US is not even in my top 25. I’d say that to be a contender for greatest nation, free healthcare must be provided to everyone, there must be a sane drug policy, and there must be a sane prison policy. And universal marriage rights regardless of sex. And no death penalty. There should also be a fairer distribution of wealth between the upper and lower classes. CEOs in the US are unfairly compensated, and the problem up top is getting worse with every passing decade.
After the Norwegian massacre several months back, I discovered I really like Norway’s penal system. That whole little wing of NorwaySwedenFinland seems like a pretty great place to be (I’d probably go with Norway or Sweden, if I spoke the language).
I was talking about me. I said “many people”, which is correct. But I’m not one of them.
So basically this thread is not asking for opinions; it’s just a screed about the marvels of living in Russia.
I love OPs where #1 and #2 are mutually exclusive - no one with enough power is going to be agreed by all to “bring positive changes to the world” since how you view almost all change depends greatly on your point of view.
Disregarding your stipulations, from an outside perspective I’d say New Zealand, with Sweden second, are the greatest countries in the world.
Going only by the nations in which I’ve lived, I’d say the ranking is 1. US, 2. Canada, 3. Cuba.
Canada would be number 1, but try going to the beach in May in Canada. And while Cuba has the US beat in beaches, the whole dictatorship of the proletariat really sucks.
Yeah, that’s pretty tempting, although I’d have trouble with Norway’s insane beer taxes. Denmark might get my first vote. All your criteria look good to me.
I think the OP’s requirement that the country be influential is a terrible one. On the contrary, I think it’s very likely that the more influential you are, the lower I’m gonna rank you in the “best country” competition.
So, Russia it is then?
Meh. Come back to me when you reach the thousands of years, like us cool europeans.
Modern European nations date back to the end of WWII when the US gave them back to you, or the fall of the Soviet Union when they let them go free range. And anybody who thinks Europeans are cool, is definitely not cool. America invented cool.
My answer is Fogtopia, or it will be if I ever get around to founding it. 
Modern European *governments *exist since WW2. European *nations *are relatively older. Not the same thing. France today is the same country as France of the Bourbons, despite the dozen or two changes in regime style.
Who gives a shit about cool when instead you can be excellent? Denmark is excellent.
But, the OP didn’t say “best” - he said “greatest.”
They are two very different things.
Still, if there’s a single greatest country in the world, Russia is pretty far from it. I’d say the US, followed by China.
I would have to cast my vote for one of the Scandinavian countries, probably Norway but Finland and Sweden are also pretty awesome. When we went to Finland my husband and I looked around and said, “Wow, we could live here and be really happy.” Since then I’ve kept my eye on information about Scandinavia and on almost every list I’ve seen of the happiest, healthiest, wealthiest, highest standard of living places the first place is always Norway followed by either Sweden of Finland and then 2 other European countries.
It has increased dramatically under Putin’s administration and is now 62 or so.
http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/03/24/240310_life.html
A lot of older Russians may have been malnourished to a greater or lesser extent during the old, harsh regimes in Russia. But I do not know if this accounts for the full thing. Rich people generally live a lot longer than poor people, Russia of course can’t control if many of their people are poorer than those in the US.
I would say the same about Bush or a republican president that said it. I sharply disagree with them on some issues. However that doesn’t mean they are all bad. I also find there’s a lot of lying and vitriol on the left and I really hate big government, social healthcare (thereby making the pharmaceutical companies even more powerful and able to shove more medication on old people), mass immigration etc. as much as any republican. I think the presenters can be funny and entertaining and generally honest, such as Megyn Kelly, Jenna Lee, Shepard Smith, Bill O’ Reilly, Harris Faulkner. (I also don’t get MSNBC so can only view it online because Sky won’t carry it for some reason, however I never watch Sky News or BBC News 24 etc). Just limit the time they give to lunatics like John Bolton. In a way it is also fun to see the “two sides” of things.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/abundance-vs-scarcity-mentality/
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES???
No no no, Comissar had a hard-on for China, remember?
I live here, so I’m going with the U.S.
The United States of America.
It is the country with the possible exception of Britain with the longest period of stable and continuous government.
It is one of the freest countries in the world.
It is one of the militarily and economically strongest countries in the world.
It has protected human freedom across the globe
It has been instrumental in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the Earth both by establishing religious freedom at home and sending missionaries all across the Earth
I agree with this actually. Putin is probably the most statesman-like leader in the world to-day much as I disagree with him. He is the only leader who is on the level of Bismarck or Teddy Roosevelt.
The US is the greatest nation in the world. Is America perfect? No. Can we do better? Yes. That said, there’s no other country I’d rather live, and there’s a reason people are risking their lives to get over here.
Ain’t nobody risking their life to get into, oh, Russia or China for a better life.