Affairs Report: But who are you? - The World

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. Monocle looks at the construction of countries.

Affairs Report: Young rebels - Abkhazia

13 years after declaring independence from former Soviet Georgia, Abkhazia's de facto government is determined to put it on the map.

Affairs Report: Bids for freedom - The world

This is the current crop of nations in waiting, states eager for independence - coming soon to a checkpoint near you.

Affairs Report: Model nation - Costazzurra

Monocle does a bit of nation branding. Welcome to Costazzurra - the hub of the Mediterranean.

Affairs Report: Bank of the Nile - Khartoum

With the help of Arab cash and expertise, Khartoum plans to become the Dubai of Africa. This is how you build a nation without friends in the West.

Affairs Report: Future States - Paula Scher - USA

Paula Scher looks at how to rebrand the US.

Affairs Report: Future states - Simon Anholt - Africa needs brand aid - Africa

Simon Anholt, a pioneer of nation branding, reveals why brand Africa is a disaster.

Affairs Report: Future states - Mabel van Oranje & Mark Leonard - Small countries, big stick

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.

Q&A: Country codes - London

Brand pioneer Wally Olins gives an insight into how nation branding works and why every country should have a creative director.

Style Leaders: Standing tall - France

Our series decoding power dressing continues with French President Nikolas Sarkozy.

Europe Briefing: Blue-lake thinking - Sweden

Monocle attended the Tällberg Forum, a sort of Scandinavian Davos, where politicians, heavyweight intellectuals and business leaders gather in the search for a sustainable future.

Europe Briefing: Q&A Michael Johnson

The Creative Director of Johnson Banks answers our nation building questions.

Europe Briefing: Engine of change - Sweden

Problems cloud the success of a recent "green car" initiative.

Europe Briefing: Q&A: Valon A Syla - Deputy editor-in-chief on the 'Gazeta Express'

The Deputy editor-in-chief on the "Gazeta Express" answers our nation branding questions.

Europe Briefing: Victor parade - Ukraine

"Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics," says Victor Pinchuk as he dabs a bead of sweat from his brow while sitting in the sun-drenched café of his new gallery in Kiev.

Americas Briefing: Prodigal president - Chile

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori may be heading home soon, if Chile's Supreme Court decides to extradite him back to Peru to stand trial for corruption and sanctioning death squads during his 1990 to 2000 presidency.

Americas Briefing: Ambassadors' rejection - Latin America

The tit-for-tat competition between rivals China and Taiwan for international allies is being played out these days in the streets of San José, Santo Domingo and Managua.

Americas Briefing: Q&A Rick Jacobs - Monigle Associates - Colorado

Rick Jacobs, Principal at brand builders Monigle Associates, answers our nation-building questions.

Asia Briefing: Contact bridge - China

It took nine years to design, but the Hangzhou Bay Bridge - the world's longest sea bridge - will be completed this autumn.

Asia Briefing: Modern Confucian - China

As China's new rich stand accused of being ill-mannered and brash and the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider, the ethical teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius are gaining a new relevance.

Asia Briefing: Charter fight - Southeast Asia

This October representatives of Southeast Asia's juntas, communists, plutocracies and democracies will meet in Singapore, intent on approving a charter first mooted in 1976.

Asia Briefing: Q&A: Yuichi Miyashi - Art director of Tycoon Graphics - Tokyo, Japan

Yuichi Miyashi, art director of Tycoon Graphics in Tokyo, answers our nation-building questions.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Quality time - Kenya

Buying a watch from Al Safa, a small jewellery shop in the centre of Nairobi, is not straightforward.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: People's army - Lebanon

Recent events have earned the Lebanese army the love of a disillusioned populace, shaken by the bloody events of the past three years.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Lonely game - Chad

Does this troubled country have the world's best game reserve for elephants?

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Q&A: Jeremy Sampson - Chief executive of Interbrand Sampson - Johannesburg

Jeremy Sampson, Chief executive of Interbrand Sampson in Johannesburg, answers our nation-building questions.

Oceania Briefing: Q&A: John Wardle - Founder of John Wardle Architects - Melbourne, Australia

John Wardle, founder of John Wardle Architects in Melbourne, answers our nation building questions.

Oceania Briefing: Roots manoeuvres - Australia

Aboriginal activist Noel Pearson is a powerful orator and his refusal to tolerate oppression is sparking a revolution.

Oceania Briefing: Slow zone - New Zealand

With an eye on the big opportunity, ambitious New Zealanders are discovering that what once was seen as a national handicap - the country's old laid-back pace of life - is now a marketing tool with international appeal.

Q&A: Charm offensive - Tokyo

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.

Affairs Report: Finn blue line - Åland

Åland, an archipelago in Scandinavia, is hailed as a model for how to create a harmonious "nation", without giving it full independence.

Business Report: The hills are alive - South Tyrol

Bolzano, capital of South Tyrol, is experiencing a business boom quite beyond traditional tourism. Local initiatives have seen hi-tech start-ups soar.

Business Briefing: Strait talk - Pakistan

Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore... Gwadar? Pakistan is developing a new deep-sea port and trading hub out of a remote fishing village that sits on the Arabian Sea in the wild Balochistan province.

Q&A: Q&A - Carlo Molteni - Milan

Carlo Molteni, President of Molteni & C, answers our questions about nation branding.

Business Briefing: Wine futures: up - Brazil

Until recently, even Brazilians wouldn't drink Brazilian wine. But a booming artisanal winemaking industry is creating a new demand for local wines.

Business Briefing: Kaliningrad takes off - Russia

Khrabrovo Airport in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad is still as Soviet and shabby as ever. But beyond the 1970s airport buildings there are signs of change.

Business Briefing: Green giant - China

China has been spending tens of billions to become a hi-tech superpower. So far, results such as alternative standards for mobile phone networks and Wi-Fi have yet to cause a stir. But making better places to live might help the creative process.

Business Briefing: Bargain bazaar - Middle East

Japanese shoppers love a bargain almost as much as they love a luxury label. Daiso is the leading "one-coin store" chain in Japan, with 60 per cent of this €3.1bn market and a network of 2,400 outlets.

Business Briefing: Wine futures: down - Moldova

Just a few years ago, Moldovan wines accounted for nearly 75 per cent of all wine sold in Russia, but last May the Russians claimed that Moldovan wines were contaminated with dangerous chemicals, and stopped sales and imports overnight.

Fairplay: Selling souls - Atlanta

"Body-piercing saved my life". This peculiar fashion comes from one of the many - both mainstream and truly fringe - who make up the quirky world of Christian retail.

Perfect Company: Running costs - Colorado

Newton Running is a relatively unknown running shoe brand that might just be one of the most exciting and inspirational launches in years.

Q&A: Life lines - Africa

Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim sold the telecoms company he founded in 2005. He is now facing a bigger challenge: promoting good governance in Africa.

Brands Explained: Bloom town - Aalsmeer

In our series looking at the companies behind everyday scenes, we visit one of the world's biggest flower auctions.

Business Report: The heat is on - Resolute Bay

Canada's far north used to be too cold and inhospitable for anyone to survive there except the Inuit people. But global warming is clearing the snows and luring in a generation of ambitious speculators.

Culture Report: The colour of money - Germany, Italy and Switzerland

The world's leading banks (you know who they are) are behind an estimated 20 per cent of all art purchases - for themselves. What's the motivation for amassing a 50,000-piece strong collection? Monocle finds out on a tour of Zürich, Milan and Frankfurt.

Culture Report: Citizen Clean - Zürich

Michael Ringier became the fifth generation of his Swiss family to head their eponymous empire in 1991. Since then, Ringier AG has expanded into eastern Europe and the Far East.

On the shelf: Indian ink - New Delhi

Like any entrepreneur worth his bucks, Ajit Singh ignored hackneyed advice such as 'Do not fill up the bookshop with books you like' when setting up Fact & Fiction in New Delhi.

For the record: Sound factory - London

Amid rubble, sawdust and the promise of a David Adjaye-designed interior, Stephen Godfroy is adamant that Rough Trade East is the space to snare the "dormant music shopper".

Culture Briefing: Tee break - A publication for T-shirt devotees

"You can go anywhere in the world and people are wearing T-shirts," says Eddie Zammit, founder of the biannual t-shirt magazine "T-World", which launched last year.

Culture Briefing: Monocle music - September's foot-tappers

From Sheffield Country Soul to ersatz Japanese electronica, these are the sounds of the summer.

Culture Briefing: Monocle books - Offbeat reading

Our choice of the month's smartest, most provocative non-fiction.

Culture Briefing: Rock banned - Iran's 'subversive' 127

"Somewhere in this city," says Sohrab Mohebbi, "there is a grown man, who gets dressed in the morning, kisses his wife goodbye, and goes and sits in an office and gets paid to decide that my band can't play in front of 30 of our friends."

My Working Life: Make some noise — Mexico City

In 2000 Hector Mijangos founded a clothing range for DJs that led to his branded parties and then the foundation of Noiselab Records. Signing local and international bands, his label has changed Mexico's music scene.

Design Report: Driving test - London, San Francisco & Pforzheim

What rolls off students' drawing boards today could be at the Frankfurt Motor Show tomorrow.

Design Briefing: Long overdue - Library design that's not off the shelf

Library design that's not off the shelf

Design Briefing: Wood you believe it

Japan's benchmark for carpenters

Q&A: Q&A - Reinier de Graaf, Rotterdam

Reinier de Graaf, partner at OMA, Rotterdam, answers our nation-branding questions.

Design Briefing: Hot seats - Spain sets fire to the White House

Flame, a chair from Figueras International Seating in Barcelona, has been installed in the press room at the White House.

Design Briefing: Cool runnings - Icelandic gym that's fit for purpose

Even if you were not in the mood to work out, it would be worth visiting the new Atak gym and spa in Akureyri, Iceland – just to take in the view.

Design Briefing: Glow for it - Switch on to Louis Poulsen

Danish designer Christian Flindt has created his first collection for our favourite lighting company, Louis Poulsen Lighting.

Design Briefing: Beach Sandells - Bodrum, Turkey

Architect Thomas Sandell wants to "create the Scandinavian dream of what architecture should look like in a Mediterranean country."

Design Briefing: Rubble with a cause - rising from the ruins in Beirut

Last summer's war left parts of Lebanon in ruins and thousands homeless. A pair of Beirut-based architects wanted to help with the rebuilding and decided, quite literally, to pick up the pieces.

Design Briefing: Brogue traders - Why Prada bought back Church's

Last December, Prada Group bought back the 55 per cent stake in Church's it had sold just three years earlier. This was a wise move.

Design Briefing: Stock up - Swedish capital's PUB conversion

The Stockholm department store PUB is just starting a revamp that will take 18 months to complete.

Design Briefing: Comme friendly bombs - CDG's guerilla store in Beirut

The Lebanese army may be fighting an offshoot of al-Qaeda in the northern city of Tripoli, but that hasn't stopped a local jeweller and his Moroccan partner opening the first Middle Eastern Comme des Garçons "guerilla" store.

Design Briefing: What a gem - Asprey's gets a little shirty

Given its 225-year history, Asprey's ready-to-wear collections for men and women might have looked tired. Thankfully, creative director Hakan Rosenius knows how modern clothes should look.

Design Briefing: Dane gold - Olympic sportswear by Hummel

Denmark has mixed fortunes in the world of sport. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, however, its national team (and the supporting royal family) put on quite a show with their apparel, courtesy of the Danish brand Hummel.

Design Briefing: Close-knit family - Essentials for those chilly nights

Bamford & Sons makes the sort of clothes that we like to find hanging in our wardrobes, and its autumn/winter collection is full of pieces that we plan to be sporting when the cold nights set in.

Design Briefing: Pink panthers - Richard James socks it to you

A true gentleman can be identified by the details of his dress, and a quick flash of these candy-coloured Richard James cashmere socks under a good navy suit is sure to wow.

The Firm: Travel wardrobe — Munich

The brains behind Clemens en August decided the best way to kick-start the brand, in the absence of a big budget, was whistle-stop tours across Europe.

Design Report: Future classics — Florence

Menswear sales are still recovering from a dip in 2005, but this season's Pitti Uomo was attended by 21,000 buyers with significant growth in eastern European and Indian markets. And its fashions were similarly forward looking.

Residence: Top marks — Mendrisio

As millions of students around the world head back to university digs, the residents of Casa dell'Accademia have it much better than most. Here's a lesson in inspired design on a strict budget.

Fashion: Stockists, issue 06

Stockists details for issue 06 of Monocle magazine.

Fashion: French dressing - Paris

Monocle takes a seat and soaks in the room in a French brasserie.

Fashion: Fully focused - Eyewear

We have something of a fondness for the modernity of a good set of frames and the broader view that comes with them.

Fashion: Well observed - Maranouchi

Chief of security for one of the local banks? A J-pop diva's minder? Or bodyguard for Tokyo's outspoken governor. Take a measure of the scene and decide.