"Because we live in a massively interconnected, interdependent age, an age of advanced globalization, it made a lot of sense to look at how countries affect each other and affect the whole system," said Simon Anholt, the project's co-founder.
Finland led the list, with Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Denmark rounding out the top five. The US slid down to 40 - down from 25th place two years ago - while Russia ranked just one spot below, rising by 54 ranks from a previous survey.
Comment: That's odd, because the US has been a fairly tyrannical regime in terms of its global impact for much longer.
Despite Washington's claim to moral authority in the international arena, the US took a serious hit in the international peace and security category where it ranked 98th, significantly behind Russia at 26. The category weighed factors such as arms sales and participation in violent conflicts.
Russia also scored better in the science & technology, planet and climate, and even prosperity and equality - while the US was ahead in health, world order and culture, though for some reason the greatest exporter of cultural norms in the world still ranked only 63rd.
Other eye-catching results included Ukraine dropping 21 places in a single year to rank 75th, and the countries occupying the bottom of the list - Yemen, Libya and Iraq - which have been devastated by war and turmoil involving both Washington and its allies.
And also the political propaganda, after all the US has to remain "top dog".
In a saner world, the US would be condemned for violating the national sovereignty throughout the world in more countries than I have fingers and toes to count.
Rather than bringers of so called democracy, they are the bringers of death and destruction.
All for resource grabs, to control the world and everything that lives, walks and talks.,
The recent events in Venezuela, should give pause for thought, a land rich in oil resources. Now if the US gets it's way, may end up another Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, a failed country.... because of strategic importance, and of course....OIL.