superpowers Flashcards
what is a superpower
a super power is a country which has the ability to exert power and influence anywhere in the world . they have access to a range or superpower characteristics. they are not stagnant examples inc USA , USSR And the british empire in the 1940s
what is an emerging power
an emerging power is a country which plays a large role in one or more super power characteristics . their influence is increasing over time and they are experiencing a change in economic structure. Examples inc Brazil India China
what is a regional power
a country which has the ability to exert power and influence over other countries within their continent or region . they influence other countries on a continental scale , e.g saudi arabia in the middle east
what are the 6 super power characteristics (CAPMED)
Cultural
Access to resources
Political
Military
Economic
Demographic
explain the economic characteristics of a superpower
- High GDP e.g USA produce over 40% of global GDP , helps influence
- high levels of trade including strong influence over global trade
- Home to many TNCS to produce FDI , wealth provided helps maintain and expand military , exploit natural resources and develop human resources through education.
explain the political power characteristics of super powers
Permanent seat on the UN security council , allows them to also make powerful allies to further reinforce their power
E.g USA is a part of G20 which are a significant decision making form
explain the military power characteristics of superpowers
threats of military power can be used as a bargaining tool and can be used to achieve geopolitical goals , they can be used to maintain power aswell as develop power . e.g threats of nuclear weapons can be used as a deterrent.
global influence can be achieved through a blue water navy (large ships through an open ocean) and missile and satellite technology.
Permanent membership in the UN Security council can be seen as ultimate status of military power.
super power E.G USA military spending accounts for 37% of spending in the world
emerging power e.g China have expanded their military however their interests lie mainly in the Asia region , south china sea , little influence beyond their
explain the cultural power characteristics of superpowers
how appealing w nations way of life values and ideology are to others:
achieved by:
-dominance or media eg films and music
- TNCS or migrants introducing cultural products e.g westernisation , the USA havw the highest percentage of the worlds largest TNC’S
- imposition of viewpoint in international agreements
explain the demographic power characteristics of superpowers
- large population leads to greater number of workers at TNCS, provides a sufficient labour force to generate economic growth e.g China using large pop as a source for cheap labour , attracts FDI , could be seen as more important for emerging powers.
Demographic power assists economic power through providing a large market so countries are benefited through economies of scale in , therefore increasing profit
Not necessarily important for a strong economy eg singapore has a strong economy without a big population
explain the power of access to resources as a characteristic of a superpower
control and access to physical resources such as energy energy minerals provided input for economic growth as their resources can be exported at a high price which is essential for economic growth
Multiple resources help ensure power as they make a country less depending on others (energy security)
however having access to resources doesnt guarantee development as in many countries these resources are managed by major TNCS
E.g shell and BP in Nigeria abs OPEC And their oil
what is a hyperpower
an unchallenged superpower that is dominant in all aspects of powers , examples include the usa from 1990 to 2010.
what is hard power
hard power is a coercive approach to international relations which combines the use of military and economic power to achieve certain outcomes
what are two examples of hard power used by the USA
Military power- the USA responded to the 2001 territory attack on them with a military invasion of afghanistan against the taliban who were supporters of the territorists.
Economic power- For example the use of economic sanctions against the countries it considers a threat to its interests such as Iran.
what is soft power
soft power is a persuasive approach for counties to act in a particular way on rhe basis that it’s the persuader is respected and appealing. it has three main components , diplomacy , culture and history
what are three examples of soft power in the UK
history - britain’s history of high quality education faie legal system and reputation for financial trustworthiness
culture- english is widely used as a second language around the world and the BBC is widely trusted as an unbiased news source. The use of the BBC allowed them to broadcast english values across the world helping them exert soft power
Diplomacy- the UK has one of the largest networks of embassies and high commissions . Ul objectives are often achieved through diplomatic influence
benefits and disadvantages of hard power
Benefits:
- fast acting - results can be achieved quicker
- cannot rise up without hard power , to be a superpower military and economic power is pretty much essential
disadvantages:
- although results are fast they aren’t always very long lasting
- use of hard power can often make people suffer.
- counties may view enforcement of military action as illegal or unnecessary which could cause the superpower to lose allies e.g russia’s invasion into crimea
what are benefits and disadvantages of soft power
benefits:
- through diffusion of culture worldwide it gives them a global presence without the need to directly invest in the country. Many countries rely on soft power for overseas influence
- the indirect effects of attraction and diffused influence can later be used to make a significant difference in obtaining favourable outcomes in bargaining situations.
disadvantage;
- takes a longer time to apply power than hard power
- soft power relies on a a country having respected culture and ideologies , it may be hard to impose power on other countries especially if they are very different culturally and ideologically
what is smart power
a combination of both hard and soft power
An approach that underscores the necessity of a strong military but also invests heavily in alliances , partnerships and institution of all levels to expand their influences
explain Mackinder’s geo strategic “heartland” location theory
the theory blames that the “heartland” - a region which stretched from eastern europe into russia wws the key strategic location of the world as it held a huge proportion of the worlds physical+human resources. He argued whoever controlled the heartland would control the world as they would control 50% of the worlds resources.
the heartland is hard to invade due to physical barriers
Russia should be the worlds global power due to its favourable location but it suffered from two major disadvantages , it has many borders and due to frozen ground has few year round ports .
some argue the middle east is the new heartland
explain how Mackinder believed the heartland could shift geographically
as a result of sea power he believed that britain’s industrialisation had shifted the centre of power westwards he believed that the UK could dominate everywhere
explain the changing centre of gravity of power
shows how the centre is pulled towards the country or region with the largest GDP
Shows the importance of the brittish industrial revolution in the 19th century to then Lead towards shift towards the USA in the 20th century due to industrial rise
the changing positions between 2000 and the predicted change by 2025 reflect the growing importance of china
power changes over time different power structures bring diffeeng level of stability
advantages and disadvantages of Mackinders theory
advantage:
reinforced the idea that control over physical resources and land is important
after WW1 his theory influenced the policy of containment that emerging powers such as germany should not be allowed to expand . NATO allies tried to contain the soviets from epdanding into western europ.
- can be easily applied to modern geopolitics
Disadvantages:
physical resources are traded internationally now due to global shift there is much less need to havw them domestically so naturally the resources are spread out of its countries of origin
Did
what is geopolitical stability
how well different governments get on with eachother.
e.g between USA and USSR the relationship between trump and putin shows one of instability
explain the unipolar power (colonial power) through british empire
- occurred between 1800-1919
- They gained the power through direct colonial control. Their navy played a large role in their growth as they transported soldiers and equipment to potential areas of conquest and their large and advanced armed forces conquered the territory and controlled it.
As they built their empires through colonial control they were able to build power more globally. This started with ship building from their deciduous trees allowing them to explore new lands from the 1400s. They travelled by boat and started to colonise unoccupied land. This led to the growth of the British Empire.
- To maintain their power, Britain highly populated the countries with British military and British administrators. - They introduced British legal systems, education systems and inventions such as the railways, language, sport and culture (as seen in India with cricket)