A Tie That Binds?
The five countries featured here are diverse in a multitude of ways, making any attempt to find some sort of commonality between them and their optimistic outlooks difficult. In the case of Qatar, you find the happy recipe of natural resource riches combined with a relatively stable population, removing much of the guess work. Another possible tie between our entries is globalization. As emerging markets, once referred to as the "Third World," continue to grow and form their own regional alliances and trade agreements, countries once accustomed to a vicious cycle of poverty and conflict may be finally entering a virtuous cycle of trade, investment and growth. Most of them still have a ways to go, but their public optimism is a healthy antidote to today's negative headlines of doubt and decline. Want to know more? Head over to Gallup.com and check out which nations have emerged from the global recession with their hope still intact. Global Top 5s is a monthly feature by RealClearWorld.com powered by Gallup's worldwide research. Learn more at Gallup.com.
