C3: Power & Developments Flashcards
What are the two main different types of political power?
Hard and Soft
What are the main parts of Hard Power?
Military & Economic
What are the main parts of Soft Power?
Diplomatic & Cultural
What can power be defined as?
The ability of a state to make another state do what it otherwise would not do.
What does military power involve?
Large military, military technology, etc
What does economic power involve?
Involves inducements or incentives to make a state to act according to the wishes of another state
Why can the effects of hard power be questioned?
Economic sanctions are often ineffective - Russia in Ukraine
Large military doesn’t always mean power - China still can’t take Taiwan, despite large military
Military action is becoming less and less prevalent as a means of solving disputes
What is the country with the most soft power as of 2023?
France
What is Smart Power?
Use of a combination of soft & hard power to get what you want
What is Relational power?
The power a state holds through what states it is allies with - e.g. NATO states have relational power through reliance on the US military
What is structural power?
The power a state holds through its leadership in international organisations (e.g. being a permanent member of the UNSC)
What does the term ‘Great power’ mean?
Originates from the Napoleonic wars - used to mean the classically powerful states in Europe
No real definition aside from this
What does the term Superpower mean?
A state with a dominant position in international relations
What is the global superpower right now?
The USA
Who used to be the two superpowers of the world?
The USA & the USSR
What is another country arguably moving towards being a superpower?
China
What is an emerging power?
A state with a growing economy; the state has the potential to become an important global actor
What is an unofficial organisation of ‘emerging powers’?
BRICS
Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
What is Polarity?
A description of the distribution of power and authority among states across the globe
What is unipolarity?
The idea that there is one state which has a hegemonic level of power (there is one ‘pole’ of power)
What is bipolarity?
The idea that there are two dominant states in international relations (Cold War era)
What is multipolarity?
The idea that power is distributed among many states, and there are three of more poles of power
What is the perceived benefit of unipolarity?
The dominant state can act as the ‘world police’ and keep everyone else safe
What is the drawback of unipolarity?
It often emerges that the hegemonic state is somewhat predatory, and can do what it wants with smaller states
What is an issue with bipolarity?
It often leads to bandwagoning - as seen in the Cold War, many countries joined either NATO or the Warsaw Pact, and most others had an alliance with either the US or the USSR.
What are some criticisms of Multipolarity?
Realists believe it is inherently unstable - poles of power need to be fewer in order to have a stable international system
What are some benefits of multipolarity?
No one state holds too much power
Promotes more cooperation
Conflict becomes futile, as gains of power would ultimately be small at best
What is the idea of zero-sum power?
There is a finite amount of power - none can be gained without another losing some
What have been the main changes to world order since 1945?
The setup of the UN
The end of the Cold War
What are some arguments for a unipolar world order in the modern system?
The USA has the world’s largest economy & military
Since the USSR fell, there has been no clear superpower to rival the USA
USA has massive structural power - nearly all international organisations are US-led and US-founded
What are some arguments against a unipolar world order in the modern system?
The USA doesn’t have more power than all other states combined - not hegemonic in its power
China is catching up economically to the USA
USA is not a traditional imperial state - no colonies
What are some arguments for there being a multipolar world order?
There are now way more countries with a large economies
EU is a huge power
BRICS are starting to emerge as powerful global actors
In what ways is China a global superpower to rival America?
Second largest economy, challenging American dominance
Largest exporter of goods in the world
Political influence over areas like Africa
Nuclear power
Second largest military in the world
In what ways is China not a global superpower to rival America?
Economic growth may slow down - Italy, Japan, and Germany all experienced huge levels of growth in the 70s & 80s that slowed down
Chinese economy heavily dependent on cheap manual labour
Heavily export-led economy
Yet to make the transition to a high-tech economy
Politically heavily autocratic
What is a democratic state defined as?
A state with a system of government in which all of the people are involved in the decision making about its affairs (e.g. the UK)
What is a semi-democratic state defined as?
A stable state that combines democratic and authoritarian elements (e.g. Nigeria)
What is a Non-democratic state defined as?
A state that lacks the central characteristics of a democratic state (e.g. China)
What is an Autocratic state defined as?
A state that is ruled by a single person with unlimited power, usually a monarch (e.g. Syria)
What is a Failed state defined as?
A state that is unable to operate as a political unit (e.g. Somalia)
What is a Rogue state defined as?
A state that has a foreign policy that poses a threat to other states (e.g. North Korea)
In what ways do different types of states threaten the global order?
Democratic states often have concerns about the way that authoritarian states run & treat their people - can lead to interventionist policies and wars
Rogue states & some autocratic states see every other state as a threat so are likely to be hostile
What was the ‘end of history’ theory?
A theory that Liberla democracy would spread all across the globe after the fall of the USSR, as it had been shown that communism didn’t work.
Written by Francis Fukuyama, at the end of the Cold War
