and if you think of Britain, what comes to your mind then?

[JWBooth]

 

[Zebra]

Scottish whisky

 

[westwall]

I can't believe I am the only one who mentioned the spreading of the English language.

Consider how a U.S president can go to almost any country and there will be representatives in those governments who speak perfect English. There is no other country on earth who can expect that.

How many governments have citizens fluent in Swedish (but in Sweden they are taught English in their schools). German? Chinese? Japanese?

The British made English the language of business. The Americans helped this continue with their dominance as a super power (which is why I say it must not fail).

Second as a necessarily language of business might be French or Spanish, but that's a distant second. Chinese is too difficult to speak and far more difficult to read/write, also not based on the latin origins.

Communication is the most valuable skill in global friendship and peace.

Before the language of trade was English it was French, and before that it was Spanish, and before that it was Mongolian, and before that it was Latin, in other words, the language of trade is always changing.