power and developments Flashcards
define power
ability to influence the behaviour of others to get the outcomes one wants
ways of determining power
- capability- strength that a state possessed in terms of population, territory, resources, economic and military strength
- relationships- alliances, involvement in international organisations
- structural- shaping defoe regime and economic development, influencing beliefs
define hard power
coercive power wielded through threats like military intervention or economic sanctions
define soft power
ability of a state to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion through attractiveness of one’s culture and values
features of hard power and examples
- military power is the capacity of a state to commit an aggressive act against another state- US spends more in its military than the next 10 countries combined ($611 billion)
- economic power involves incentives or sanctions for a state to act according to the wishes of another state- EU and other countries has imposed sanctions against Russia in attempts to stop its conflict with Ukraine (€24.9 billion of assets frozen in EU and €91.2 billion banned imports from Russia)
- joseph nye used the analogy of military “sticks” and economic “carrots”
how is hard power effective
- effective response to terrorise like ISIS
- realist would agree states should use military force for their own survival
- economic globalisation has meant states compete through trade
how is hard power not effective
- military power can damage states’ reputation like US after Afghanistan and Iraq
- military conflict by stronger states is harder to combat
- economic sanctions only work in smaller countries
examples of soft power
UK- through imperialism, previous and current leading roles in international al organisations like UN security council helped to make it influential on a world stage
EU- single market is desirable for countries, strong voice
how is soft power effective
- goals are better achieved through cooperation
- freer flow of information means people are increasingly informed about foreign cultures
- spread of democracy
how is soft power not effective
- hard power can undermine soft power
- some goals, like stopping NK with nuclear weapons, can only be achieved through hard power
define smart power and give example
combination of hard and soft power
- Nye argues smart power was needed with Taliban governments, who required both force to remove the regime and mutual understanding when developing a relationship
- obama had both soft power (cairo speech promoting cooperation) and hard power (no tolerance to extremist threats)
define super power
state with a dominant position in the international systems which has the ability to influence events and its own interest and project power
define hegemonic stability theory
hegemony over stretch their power so new rivals become more powerful
how is the US a super power
- population of 300 million
- high literacy rate and education
- key player in international organisation like UN- neo colonialism with Washington Consensus
-worlds largest economy - second largest nuclear arsenal
- influential american culture
- 1/3 of global military spending
define great power
nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a. global scale, through its population, resources, economy, military strength and political stability
