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But who are you?

With corporate brands more powerful than country brands, there’s a lot of work out there for agencies keen to rethink a nation’s identity. Over the next 40-plus pages *Monocle* looks at the construct of countries.
Young rebels

No one – not even its only ally, Russia – recognises Abkhazia as a legitimate state. But 13 years after declaring independence from former Soviet Georgia, the region’s de facto government is determined to put it on the map.
Bids for freedom

At any time in history there are countries on the way in or out – breakaway states eager for independence or now clamouring to be reassimilated into their former motherlands. This is the current crop of nations in waiting – coming soon to a checkpoint near you.
Model nation

A failed Italy and a Grimaldi household in shambles presents the perfect opportunity for a marriage of convenience between Liguria and Monaco in 2014. If it sounds like a storyline from our manga series, it might well be, but it also gave us a starting point to do a bit of nation branding of our own. Welcome to Costazzurra – the hub of the Mediterranean.
Bank of the Nile

Sudan’s government is accused of aiding a genocide in Darfur and so the West refuses to do business with the regime. So how does this failed state cope? Well, for Khartoum the answer is with ease. With the help of Arab cash and expertise, the city plans to become the Dubai of Africa. This is how you build a nation without friends in the West.
Future states

The national identity of countries can shift radically and at a speed that leaves their inhabitants gasping: think of the former Soviet Union. Here leading thinkers consider what might, or should, change in the way nations present themselves. First Paula Scher, one of the world’s leading graphic designers and a principal at Pentagram in New York, looks at how to rebrand the US. Then Simon Anholt, a pioneer of nation branding, reveals why brand Africa is a disaster. And, finally, Mabel van Oranje of the Open Society Institute and Mark Leonard of the European Council on Foreign Relations, argue that, united, Europe’s smallest countries can challenge the world order.
Country codes

On a map in the mind’s eye, Spain would be a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours while Poland would be various shades of grey. Brand pioneer Wally Olins gives an insight into how nation branding works and why every country should have a creative director.
Europe briefing

Nicolas Sarkozy's French style; the Nordic Davos; and Ukraine's Britart-loving oligarch.
Americas briefing

Peruvian extradition and a China-Taiwan tug of allies.
Asia briefing

Building bridges in China and why you should be nice to your mum.
Africa/Middle East briefing

Kenya's watchful rich and Lebanon's army fights back.
Oceania briefing

An Antipodean Martin Luther King and New Zealand on a go-slow.
Charm offensive

Tokyo may be peaceful and calm but its governor is certainly not. Here he explains why his city has bad traffic (the Communists), what he thinks of modern Tokyo (vomit) and why kamikaze pilots were not suicide bombers.
Finn blue line

Åland, an archipelago in Scandinavia, is hailed as a model for how to create a harmonious “nation” – without giving it full independence – academics and politicians even studied it as a model for Kosovo. The prosperous islanders speak Swedish but are part of Finland and, until the EU turned up, were very happy with their arrangement.

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Pantry / Global

Shelf life

Each issue, we take an everyday pursuit or situation and give it the *Monocle* overhaul. This month, we stock up on some late-summer essentials to fill the shelves of our perfect pantry.

As autumn draws near, it is time to restock our larder with all the long-life victuals required to season our sauces and add crunch to our katsus. While we spend a great deal of time sniffing and squeezing the fresh produce at Portobello Road market, we also spend a great deal of money on pantry staples at Globus in Zürich. It’s all very well nipping into a local butcher’s, baker’s or grocer’s for fresh chops or crisp veg, but some ingredients sit happily on the shelf for months until the occasion arises.

In addition to the obvious – good quality extra-virgin olive oil, soy sauce and Tabasco – no pantry would be complete without an eye-watering wasabi, a bar of extra-fine dark chocolate, a bottle of easy-squeeze Kewpie mayo or a tube of Kalles caviar. Rustling up something from nothing couldn’t be easier.

Our 10 favourite food stores

01 Fernandez & Wells, London
02 Sahadi Importing Company, New York
03 Dallmayr, Munich
04 The foodhall at Magasin du Nord, Copenhagen
05 Corduroy & Finch, Singapore
06 Zingerman’s, Chicago
07 Pusateri’s, Toronto
07 GrEAT Food Hall, Hong Kong
09 Globus Delicatessa, Geneva
10 Hemköp underneath Åhléns, Stockholm

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