power and polarity Flashcards
define soft power
the cultural and diplomatic power to increase a nation states sphere of influence
define hard power
the economic and military power to create compulsion on the national stage
coheresion
example of USA’s soft and hard power
soft = americanisation
hard = they make up 40% of global military budget
example of chinas soft and hard power
soft = belt and road initiative - investment in Africa
hard = economy and GDP growth - ‘workshop of the world status’
to what extent can it be argued that the internet has made soft power more important in global relations
to a wide extent as the world is becoming more digital and consequently their has been spreads of culture easily
define superpower
a nation state that is able to exert its influence and military presence at anytime anywhere in the world
define great power
nation states that possess significant economic, military and diplomatic power with wide regional outreach and power
explain why the usa is a superpower
as it can deploy military anytime anywhere in the world and has global influence through Bretton woods institutions
define emerging power
a power that has a significant level of regional influence whilst in other areas it may still be developing but has not yet met the criteria for great power status
explain why uk and russia are greater rather than superpowers
as they have significant regional influence, military and economic outreach. however unlike the usa they don’t have a great mobility of power and cannot operate anywhere anytime consistently
why are India and Brazil often defined as emerging powers
as they are part of brics and have started to gain regional influence however other areas such as diplomatic influence and economies/military are still developing
arguments for and against china becoming a superpower
- for: strengthening economic and military ties with geostrategically important states - Malaysia, role in south china sea
- structural power increasing in ndb, cra, brics
- against: its military is 5x smaller than the USA
- americansation greater cultural influence
to what extent has russia’s lack of soft power influence reduced its global influence
to a wide extent as it has isolated and antagonised itself through its strong military and limited IGO membership - left G7 in 2014 after annexation of Crimea
define bipolarity
the distribution of power where there are two dominant powers in the ISS
explain the Cold War as an example of bipolarity
as both US and USSR had equal power and influence through proxies in the Korean and Vietnam war thus contesting their influence
what is the connection between unipolarity and global hegemony
unipolarity allows one dominant power which can then develop into becoming a global hegemony
define multipolarity
where multiple states hold significant and similar levels of power
how can multipolarity encourage peace and stability
through greater focus on mulitlateralism and diplomacy to address global issues. greater interconnectedness and technology = greater collective focus on global issues encouraging peace and stability through globalisation
how can the bipolar distribution of power contribute to peace and stability
as hard power accumulation on both sides could lead to a security dilemma and one nation not wanting to provoke the other due to WMD and nuclear weapons
what is hegemonic stability theory and why is it contested
that the ISS is more likely to remain stable when a single state is the dominant power. it is contested as global order can be established collectively and does not need hegemony to guarantee peace
how does a democratic state differ from an autocratic state
- autocratic solely relies on the leader and government whereas democratic state’s power is shared with its citizens
define a failed state - how can they threaten peace and stability
- a state where there are no political institutions that claim sovereignty within the geographical territory
- can be a haven for terrorist organisations
define a rogue state
- a state that undermines the status quo, international law and established norms
why is russia a semi democratic state and why does this matter in international relations
- as it has some democratic elements - elections - but had limits on political freedoms
- this is important as it can impact state interaction such as trade agreements
