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)
why did britain want power during 1800-1919
They wanted the power in order to gain access to the resources that these areas offer and once they took hold in one country they would then be able to gain access to the neighbouring countries. Commodities such as cotton, slaves and spices were used to set up trading companies which generated income and allowed further exploration. As the UK brought back the raw materials to their major ports, it fuelled the industrial revolution
how stable was the colonial rule of the british empire
This was not stable. Due to the fact that there were several people with a highly influential role, it meant that there was a large conflict of opinions. With no one in control it meant that it created a power vacuum allowing the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan with no country prepared to stop them. A multipolar power world is one of great conflict as there is no measures in containing power.
how did the brittish empires power decline?
- running an empire was very expensive and after the expense of ww1 britain couldnt afford it.
- The UK became aware that colonising countries was not morally correct. Anti-colonial movements and a desire for countries to become independent of their ‘mother’ country. Countries in Europe focused on rebuilding their own countries after the war.
global trade changed new industrial powers e.g germany and USA created new markets and new competition trading with african colonies and india were no longer the route to econoic superpower
what happened as the uni-polar world after the brittish empire faded
as the uni polar world faded and the cold war began teh world saw two superpowers facing eachother The USA and USSR (bipolar world)
explain the bipolar power that was present during the Cold War era with the USA and USSR
From 1945-90 a bi-polar world dominated, made up of USA and USSR, this led to the formation of the Cold War era.
It involves a tense stand-off between opposing powers who both had rapidly industrialised, ha access to raw materials, were self-sufficient and very strong militaries.
The Americans and the British feared the permanent soviet domination of eastern Europe and the threat of soviet-influenced communist parties coming to power in the democracies of western Europe.
how did the USA and USSR develop power through the cold war
The USA and USSR sought allies among other countries as part of the USA-led ‘West’ or USSR-led ‘East’. They didn’t directly fight but they were involved in ’proxy wars’ which involves when you pick a side in a war. They gained power through investing millions into their nuclear weapons and space technology in order to gain power against their component.
by 1949 both USA and USSR had access to nuclear weapons and had the threat of launching one if the other did.
the superpowers developed indirect over other countries
was the bipolar power between the USA and USSR stable
the instability of the Cold Era bipolar world was mainly due to their completely contrasting ideologies with the one supporting capitalist views and the other communist. Geopolitical instability and proxy war in many different parts of the world, such as the Korean peninsula and Vietnam. It was described as having high risk.
what are the four mechanisms of indirect control e.g in cold war (CEMP)
cultural- The USA’s radio free europe transmitted news information into eastern europe and the USSR during the cold war
economic- when a superpower uses its economic power to influence how a country is goverened through ideology e.g traid or aid deals having strings attached , a country may recieve a loan but has to spend it on the superpowers products
Military- a superpower can station its troops in the country or only selling weapons that use parts and ammunition sold by the superpower. e.g the USA has currently 800 military bases worldwide
political- when a superpower influences how a country is governed through ideology . for example the communist countries of eastern europe followed the policies decided for them by the USSR,
how did the bi-polar power between USAand USSR decline
Their power declined not only due to rebelling countries saying they didn’t like the idea of communism but also due to the space race becoming too expensive. This led to the rise in nuclear power and this is a power that many countries continue in aiming to conquer. Their power was bound to decline due to the completely opposing ideologies they held, their fight could not be sustained.
who has the hegemony
The USA holds the role of holding a hegemony. The United States emerged from the war as the dominant economic, political and technological power. The use of the USA’s ‘soft power’ during this uni-polar era has been crucial in maintaining their hegemony.
how did the USA gain and maintain hegemony power
This has been done through the use of hard and soft power. It is clear that their development sin military and large economic power play a large role in obtaining this large amount of power however their use of soft power may be argued as the main component in obtaining this hegemony.
Through Americanisation and Mcdonaldisation through the presence of US TNCs setting up across the world they have been able to successfully spread their culture globally, with many arguing this to being the greatest form of power.
why did the USA want hegemony power
They wanted power in order to be able to control the world economy and international trade. Through operating a hegemony they will have the greatest amount of power and hold financial economies against other countries. It became the postwar home of the United Nations, the IMF and the WB. This allowed them to have a favourable position in terms of trade agreements and so in terms of their economy they would be favoured. They dominated the markets.
how is the stability of the hegemonic power of the USA effected?
The biggest threat to the US’ hegemony is the rise of China. The dominance of the USA will decline with China acting as its biggest rivalry. This is because China has access to a large amount of human resources, they have seen high rates of GDP growth at 6.1% that do not seem to slow down and they have been increasingly engaging with other parts of the world, notably by investing in Africa in terms of mineral resources. Moreover, the strength of China’s military highlights their hard power that acts as a threat to USA’s sustaining power.
what is Neo-colonialism?
it refers to the soft power that is being used to control former colonies to ensure wealthy countries still get what they want
- some see it as a form of mutual benefit
- it tends to involve former colonies as they are more fragile and easier to manipulate
which are the emerging powers?
emerging countries are the BRICS countries and the MINT countries
this includes Brazil Russia India China South
Mexico
Indonesia
Nigeria
Turkey
who are the G20
the G20 is the 20 most successful economies in the world , they meet to discuss how to keep the global economy working at its best. Members include the BRICS , MINT together with leading economies such as EU , USA and Japan.
explain the rise of china as a potential rival to the USA’s hegemony?
- china’s rapid economic growth and the USA’s dependance on china for manufactured goods has challenged the USA’s power
- china’s rapid economic growth and the USA’s dependance on china for manufactured goods has challenged the USA’s power
how are the emerging powers influential (PEE)
POLITICALLY- their economic importance enables them to form alliances ad act as an influence group (e,g New development bank) and join global decision making organisations such as the G20.
ECONOMICALLY- their economic growth has powered the worlds economy . collectively the G20 countries make up 85% of global trade. Large markets also mean big markets for global commodities.
ENVIRONMENTALLY- Climate change is a global problem and the emerging powers have a crucial role to play in tackling it both individually and as part of global governance initiatives e.g UN climate change conferences.
explain 4 ways of in how indirect control particularly Neo-colonial control can be used to influence other countries and exert your power (CALM)
C- cultural control- TNC investments
- cultural diffusion and westernisation have taken place, sport, music and the internet. many developing nations are reliant on TNCS to provide investment and jobs, otherwise they will go into extreme poverty, e.g. Coca Cola in Rajasthan
A- AID- economic and political control
- the IMF and WB were set up to provide aid in the form of ‘structural adjustment programs’ to ensure countries reformed their policies to be pro-western
- much aid is also given in form of tied aid as seen in UK’s aid to India where the money had to be spent on british infrastructure and businesses
L- lending
- developing countries often borrow money from developed ones and end up in a debtor-creditor relationship
- the UK continues to provide funding to commonwealth nations giving it ‘moral authority’
M- Military support-military control
- developing nations often rely on superpowers for military backing during times of civil war and uprising or they need to buy them weapons from e.g. USA giving Syrian rebels discounted price on guns, they want them to adopt capitalist views
what is bi-polar power?
two opposing superpowers, with different ideologies but broadly equal in status
what do the G20 do
they meet to discuss global economies. this is a form of soft power.
- established in 1999, developed during the asian crisis where they discussed the potential downfall of Asia
- they are considered an informal forum, they act as a catalyst for new initiatives, carry large political weight
- emerging nations are funding their growth, trade and political relationships with emerging nations will help drive economic growth through the use of their cheap human and physical resources
evaluate the G20
- based on resolution not legislation, they commit to it but dont always implement it, people argue that the G20 favours the rich and increases financial inequalities
- they have evolved, before conversations were solely based on economics however now they also talk about climate change and education
what factors allow for fast growth in a nation?
- room for growth, opportunities for diversification
- good physical components, not landlocked access to natural resources e.t.c
- open governments towards globalisation, murdle’s model of cumulative causation
- large working population
what is the prediction for the future growth of emerging powers?
they will become increasingly important to global economic and political systems in the 21st century and the dominance of the USA will decline with China most likely to rival their hegemony
- other BRIC (Brazil, russia, India and china) and G20 countries could become increasingly powerful in the future
- Europes and the USA’s share of world GDP has been decline since about 1945 and 1990 respectively
- it is predicted emerging nations will demand more say in global organisations such as The UN
- have more decision making power in IGOs
- play a greater role in international peacekeeping missions and disaster response as their military capacity grows
explain how emerging countries are becoming increasingly important in global environment governance
the annual UN Climate Change conference
- the BRIC countries account for 42% of global carbon dioxide emissions, global environment governance agreements must involve these countries
- in the conference in 2015 the BRIC countries were involved in the agreement in a way they had not been when the 1997 Kyoto protocol was signed, which only involved developed countries
what are the strengths of the emerging nation of China
strengths-
they are the main trading partner for more than 100 countries compared to half of that for the USA, accounts for 60% of GDP in BRIC countries (EC)
- most populous country in the world, 4x pop of the USA, large workforce. they are an educated population with a skilled workforce
geostrategic location for trade and defence, belt and road initiative aims o gain a geo-economic presence of central Asia’s heartland (EN)
economic and political growth in china lifted 800 million people out of poverty creating a huge market.
what are the weaknesses of the emerging nation of China
weaknesses:
- deeply polarised between ideals (republic vs democratic), authoritarian gov leads to lack of power
- as much as they have expanded their military, its
interests lie mainly in the Asia region (SCS), military beyond Asia is minor, little global military reach
there is still vast inequality between urban and rural china , and developed east and less developed west
there are huge amounts of air and water pollution in china due to the maufacturing, long term impacts on health may occurr as a result of this
what are the strengths of the emerging power of India
strengths-
india has a huge labour market of 500 million
they have effective training of highly skilled workers e.g in IT and Finance
demographically they have a youthful population , 54% of indians are under 25
global leader in IT technology
- Bollywood, food spread culturally (C)
what are the weaknesses of the emerging power of India
weaknesses-
- more than 70% of the rural population still live in poverty
- their is weak travel infrastructure and poor energy
rapid pop growth is causing major environmental damage
lack of water resources - can impact long term health
they need massive modernisation in their military equipment, sophisticated hardware needed (M)
- trade unions are getting bigger due to low pay in industries, political instability (D/P)
what are the strengths of the emerging power of Russia
strengths-
large oil and gas reserves (EN,EC)
- high literacy rate at 99.73% and therefore high levels of educated workforce (D)
very powerful nuclear armed military
- they have a very strong leader and government leading to power (P)
effective soft power through manipulation of social media
what are the weaknesses of the emerging power of Russia
- limited access to navy due to lack of ports, naval and aircraft stock ageing, one aircraft carrier dates back to the soviet era (M)
- global warming more severe, 2.5x faster than the rest of the world (EN)
- russia is 9th largest economy but it is very dependant on oil and gas exports (produces half of its GDP), very vulnerable to price fluctuations (EC) e.g russias GDP shrank from 2.2 million dollars to 1.8 million between 2013 and 2018
their is political hostility against russia including economic sanctions from EU and USA.
there is very high inequality
what are the strengths of the emerging power of Brazil
- allies with the USA, bilateral relationship allowing for economic growth (P)
globalisation reputation as a football nation, famous for the Rio carnival, hosted 2-14 world cup and 2016 olympics (C)
environmentally important- amazon rainforest
huge natural resources
modern economic structure
what are the weaknesses of the emerging power of Brazil
economy has boom and bust cycles - sign of instability e.g
economic crisis in 2014-2017 saw brazils GDP fall by nearly 4%
there is serious political corruption involving state energy company
environmental issues as some politicians want to cut down amazon rainforest to boost development
limited military strength
- relies on primary products for export rather than manufacturing, no added value but does product half of south America’s GDP (EC)
- deforestation and climate change, rainforest, large threat (EN)
- large amount of ethnic groups leading to cultural clash and conflict, politically less stable protests every year since 2013 (C+P)
explain how the characteristics needed for power have changed over time
As our society has developed and technology has advanced there has been a shift in the need for nuclear machinery, advanced technology, a large and educated workforce.
there is also an increased need for soft power now due to the increased competition with foreign markets. Exerting your influence through your TNCs, following the actions of countries such as USA
what are some of the trends/issues with emerging powers
Countries with ageing, or even declining populations (Russia, Japan, some EU countries and even China) face major problems in the future in paying for increasingly costly healthcare at the same time as their workforce shrinks
Shortages of physical resources could derail the ambitions of some countries (India) whereas growing pollution could stall the growth of others (China)
Countries with modern infrastructure, balanced economic sectors and good energy supplies (China, Brazil, Mexico) will do better than ones yet to develop these (India, Indonesia, Nigeria).
what are the positives of a uni polar world
unipolar world
- complete colonial power, the british empire was able to colonise countries all over the world
- most secure and stable world system, if managed correctly and not done in an exploitive way it will ensure complete security, everywhere adopts the same sustainable and opportunistic ideals
what are the positives of a bipolar world
- it is seen as ‘the most stable form of power distribution’ and if the two powers work together and support each other’s views then they will be able to create a world with complete security and control
- leads to rapid innovation and development, competing with another country, the space race/cold war between USSR and USA
what are the positives of a unipolar world
- from moving out of the bipolar world it allowed for many weaker states to exercise their strategic autonomy and multi-align themselves with multiple powerful states
- allows for the spread of culture allowing for a growth in soft power as people begin to adopt their way of life, this is argued to be the most essential form of power for long-term prosperity
how have the BRIC countries grown over time?
- they obtained more stable governments meaning that they have more plans in place for development, education and healthcare, seen through china
- they have put in more efforts for education and so they are obtaining a more qualified population, more attractive for investment
- they have become more involved in global trade, some are key trading partners for many countries through developments in manufacturing high-value goods, no longer having to depend on core regions to add value to their resources
summarise rostow’s model of development (modernisation theory) indicating what is needed to move onto the next stage
its a theory that is based on the hostorical development of the UK and USA. , it assumes that if enough investment is made in a developing country , industrialisation “take off” will inevitably occur. giving good returns on the original investment and helping them development. supports the idea of TNC’s being beneficial for countries as it provides developing countries with a crucial stimulus for “take off”
it follows 6 steps 1- traditional society 2-conditions for take off 3-take off 4-the drive to maturity 5-high mass consumption 6-post consumer society
what are the positives and negatives of rostow’s model of development (modernisation theory)
Positives:
- shows how development, politics and the economy are all linked
- if they had the investment they are likely to grow
Negatives:
- doesn’t take into account that European development comes at the cost of other nations (colonialism)
- not a level playing field, doesn’t start at the same level
it assumes that all countries follow the same path to development even though the conditions for the UK and USA’s development were different - doesn’t take into account geopolitical relations
