Study finds UK is second most powerful country in the world
 

Yes, really. It says so here.

I find myself greatly heartened...

Cobblers.

Soap Operas and Reality TV of Mass Distraction is about it.

We cannot be a Global Power given that we seem to have run out of flying socks. Bet the Chinese have loads, could they let us have some?

Is Israel incognito in the list? I would put them above Australia in power.

It looks like the frames of reference boosted (and flattered) our score more than somewhat.

Perhaps, too, the report's authors reckon that Hanbali Sunni Saudi and Jafari Shia Iran cancel each-other out in the Regional Power stakes? :rolleyes:

Measuring dicks....
 

According to this link, power is not the only area in which the UK fails to achieve pole position:

Which Country Has the Biggest Dicks in the World? - Mandatory

Here the UK's "performance" is only average......

Australia 5.2" UK 5.5"

Snigger.

And North Korea 3.8". How the hell do they know?

I thought, to be a global "blue water" power, one had to have reach (aircraft carriers)..................................:suspect:

How can the British military consisting of 140k personnel (almost half of the entire staff at Tesco......do anything other than patrol our coast line?
Pathetic self serving report.

TC,

"almost half of the entire staff at Tesco......". Absolutely classic sir, that really "stacks up" as a response :ok:

Smudge

Israel ahead of Australia eh? That doesn't matter as long as we beat New Zealand.

What at?

Back on thread, this article put things into perspective: Modern India's view of Britain is purely pragmatic

That really is a scary quote.

That's because you haven't properly read the report. It's not just about the number of servicemen. We are able to influence events around the world in a good way because people like us, want to trade with us, share our culture and history and use our language. Plus we can turn their capital cities to glass if they don't want to do any of that and upset us enough.

The OP title appears to be a little misleading. It should not read "second most powerful country in the world." It should read "second most in ability to project power globally". Russia, China, India, and lots of other big regional powers have a more powerful military, but they do not have the ability to project that power globally, outside their own region.

And nations project power with more than just their military. Nations also project power culturally, economically, politically, etc. Combine such "soft" power that has a global reach with "hard" power that has a global reach, and it is easy to see how the UK is number 2 overall.

Ok, joking aside guys....how EXACTLY can GB Plc "project" its military power?

Let's start with the RAF: Maximum a dozen modern jets with a reach of a 1000 miles perhaps.......mmmmmm

Now the Army: How are they going to be projected, then. What mode of transport will "project" them globally? I would argue they would struggle to get a battalion half way across europe before logistical line broke down.

Navy: What Navy. To be a global threat you need CARRIERS and Jets. We have neither. The rest of the entire British Navy consists of 19 (nineteen) warships FFS.

Nuclear deterrent: 4 subs, 2 at sea at any one time. 21 missiles each and each missile capable of wiping out half a city. BIG hitter here. The only hitter but I would wager everything that the Brit mil would never use it first and by the time Jermey Cordite thinks hard about defending us, he'd be in the bunker in High Wycombe telling his selected union members and CND that he was true to his word.....to the end.....when the first SSBN landed in London.

IF this self serving report was to draw up the list of global mil reach/power, I would suggest out of 149 countries in the world with such capabilities, we would be around half way, near, say: Saudi Arabia (conventionally).

Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Spend a fortune tweaking nuke's but accept that our 'clout' in the mil arena globally went out the window over a decade ago.

Study finds that the study, which finds UK is second most powerful country in the world, is the second most accurate study.

Let's go through your post, Thomas. Our 1000 mile warplanes are in daily use, rightly or wrongly, bashing targets in the Middle East, we'd love loads more but I count more than a dozen. We've placed a substantial army, again rightly or wrongly in Iraq and another in Afganistan for years. Above all, there are bases in many countries around the world where they'd be welcome and would likely be our allies in any foreseeable conflict.

Saudi? come on. Read the report again; it's about power, not top trumps and counting the tanks.

Take our nuclear deterent away and the brit mil would be no threat to anyone.
We couldn't invade anwhere.
If Argentina invaded the falklands tomorrow, the brits have 3 tornado's and 2 seakings down there and about 500 troops.
6 aircraft for syria.
Why Britain's armed forces are shrinking by the day and does it really matter? - Telegraph
You can fit the entire brit army into wembley FFS.

Where is the fire power in all of this then?

That one utterance shows you know f**k all what you're talking about, there haven't been any (operational) Tornadoes at MPA for about 6 years...

-RP