Superpowers Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Cwhat is a superpower

A

a country that projects its power and dominance over the rest of the world, demanding lots of resources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is an emerging power

A

the rising influence of a nation, primarily economic, steadily increasing their presence in global affairs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is a regional superpower

A

have strong influence within their region, but are less powerful outside (south Africa)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is hard power and an example

A

using military force
Putins invasion of Ukraine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is sharp power

A

manipulation of political decision making
Russian trollbots on social media for US election

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is economic power

A

having influence through economic dominance or investment in an area
Chinas investment in African infrastructure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is soft power

A

persuasion aligned with particular cultural beliefs
BBC world service

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is the heartland theory

A

who rules the heartland, commands the global island, who rules the global island, commands the world

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

is the heartland theory still relevant

A

though there are plentiful resources in the heartland, a superpower now needs more than resources, such as technology, alliances and political stability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

define imperialism

A

aquisition by a government of other territories, often by force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

how did the British empire use direct control (colonial power)

A

suppressed local cultures and populated them with British farmers
and invested heavily in the navy to become the most powerful in the world, helped to keep countries under control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is indirect control (neo-colonialism) and who uses it

A

using capitalism, globalisation and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country
could be used by countries for political reasons, TNCs to develop advantages and international organisations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how did the cold war impact how power was maintained

A

by the development of nuclear weapons, indirect control was used more predominately to stop nuclear wars

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are the risks of a uni and bi polar world

A

creates a relatively stable geo-political status, as one country has more power than all the rest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what are the risks of a multi polar world

A

creates instability when emerging powers compete with eachother
such as China building military bases in the South China sea, which other powers claim as theirs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

strengths of Brazil

A

environmentally important (Amazon)
economy reached 2.6 trillion in 2016

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

weaknesses of Brazil

A

serious political corruption
military is weak compared to other BRIC nations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

strengths of Russia

A

very strong military
rich in resources
permanently on UN security council

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

weaknesses of Russia

A

GDP is dependent on oil
very high inequality
hostility against Russia, sanctions by EU

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

strengths of India

A

huge labour market (500 million)
lots of allies
youthful population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

weaknesses of India

A

more than 70% of rural population still in poverty
weak infrastructure
water insecurity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

strengths of China

A

worlds second largest economy
growth has lifted 800 million out of poverty
skilled workforce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

weaknesses of China

A

growth of the economy has slowed
large inequalities between urban and rural China
biggest greenhouse gas emitter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

how are emerging power economically influential

A

their economic growth has powered the world economy, G20 countries account for 85% of world trade

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

how are emerging power environmentally influential

A

emerging powers have a critical role to play in tackling the climate crisis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

how are emerging power politically influential

A

their economic importances enables them to form alliances and act as an influential group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what does the dependency theory show

A

rich depend on the poor to become more wealthy, with the periphery giving raw materials and political support and gaining polluting industries and aid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

problems with the dependency theory

A

static theory as countries can move from the periphery to the core, so does not address the changing patterns of power currently

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

what does the world systems theory show

A

shows how countries can move through the peripheries to the ‘core’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

problems with the world systems theory

A

world economies are more complex to separate and the theory doesn’t explain why

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

what does the modernisation model show

A

what a country has to go through to become a superpower, through exploiting its resources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

what is the IMF

A

promote global financial stability, fund to help struggling countries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

how do superpowers benefit from the IMF

A

investment in find is proportional to voting rights

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

how is the IMF disadvantageous for developing countries

A

sometimes force countries to cut spending to pay back loan
in Jordan there have been riots due to tax-rises to pay back loan

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

what is the world bank (WB)

A

address the affects of natural disasters and help finance development, investment is proportional to voting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

how is the WB disadvantageous for developing countries

A

can lead to environmental damage and be very costly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

what is the WTO

A

aims to free up global trade and reduce barriers, to have free trade without gov intervention. one country=one vote

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

how do superpowers benefit from the WTO

A

no votes have ever been taken, only bargaining and mutual agreements, which heavily favours EU+US

39
Q

how is the WTO disadvantageous for developing countries

A

cheaper imports can undercut local farmers who are then forced out of business
such as local fisheries in Pakistan

40
Q

what is WEF

A

brings leaders together, such as CEOs and politicians, to solve international problems

41
Q

how do superpowers benefit from WEF

A

decisions are made by the wealthiest

42
Q

how is the WEF disadvantageous for developing countries

A

lots of protests when this occurs, over climate change and environmental damage

43
Q

how much trade are TNCs involved in

A

80%

44
Q

why are pharmaceutical products so expensive for developing countries

A

because patents protect the large amounts of research and development done by TNCs. the high cost for r+d means TNCs make people pay to use their drug discoveries, often this fee is very high

45
Q

what is the importance of media TNCs

A

they have huge cultural influence and the top 5 biggest media companies in 2016 were all US TNCs
form of soft power

46
Q

how does westernisation affect economic influence

A

westernisation follows the beliefs of capitalism, so as a country is culturally influenced by the west there is an increasing chance the area will move away from communism and a planned economy

47
Q

example of superpowers preventing conflict

A

US being significantly involved in the middle east without UN support

48
Q

how are superpowers dealing with climate change mitigation

A

currently not key players in responses, with US + China being the biggest emitters, they often argue at conferences over who should act first

49
Q

example of superpowers responding to crisis

A

the humanitarian response in Haiti 2010, the US was the biggest player and their assistance was crucial

50
Q

example of an economic alliance

A

EU: a single market of 500 million, where most goods, people and money can move freely (NAFTA)

51
Q

example of military alliance

A

NATO: the alliance of 29 countries, if one country is threatened then the other countries will come to its aid (ANZUS)

52
Q

example of environmental alliance

A

IPCC: representatives of 194 countries governments meet to agree the wording of a report regarding climate change research

53
Q

what is the purpose on the UN

A

to maintain peace, promote human rights and social + economic development

54
Q

problems with the UN security council

A

accused of passing resolutions condemning a country, but then failing to prevent their actions

55
Q

how has the growth of superpowers occured

A

rapid rates of industrialisation and urbanisation, which requires lots of energy and raw materials

56
Q

how much did the global middle class grow between 2000 and 2014

A

by 500 million

57
Q

what problems are there with water an regional superpowers

A

regional superpowers dominate water use in many areas at the expense of other countries with less influence

58
Q

between 2000-2015 how much has the demand for fish increased

A

96%

59
Q

what happened in the following years after the Paris agreement

A

carbon emissions increased by 1.7% in 2017 and 2.7% in 2018

60
Q

what are Indias responses to climate

A

emerged as a global leader in climate change, investing more in them than fossil fuels

61
Q

how much have the UK reduced emissions by

A

44% between 1990-2018, even though the economy grew

62
Q

is the UK doing enough

A

the governments own committee for climate change has advised the country is lagging behind many of its long-term goals

63
Q

how does China investing in renewables affect the rest of the world

A

as China invests more, to reach its net zero target in 2060, prices will begin to fall

64
Q

what is the USA doing in response to climate change

A

investing in agriculture to store carbon in soils, making electric vehicles and building green hydrogen plants

65
Q

what is causing recent military and political tensions over Arctic oil and gas

A

the increasing accessible mineral wealth between routes and the opening of new transport routes
due to climate change thawing more each summer

66
Q

why is there a trade war between US and China

A

5-10% of trade is through counterfeit goods, the US claims that China is the biggest provider of these goods to the EU (breaking WTO rules)
result is putting higher tariffs on each other, affecting many industries

67
Q

why is Chinas claims over the south China sea so significant

A

10% of the world fisheries
30% of world trade passes through
China have ignored the UN policy of the EEZ

68
Q

why is Russia invading Ukraine

A

claims Ukraine should not be independent as it was formally part of the soviet union
sees Ukraine joining NATO has a threat

69
Q

how do relationships between superpowers and developing countries work

A

unfair terms of trade- cheap exports for the developing world vs expensive manufactured imports
the brain drain of skilled workers from developing to boost developed economies

70
Q

what are the positive impacts of China and Africas relationship

A

China is now Africas biggest trading partner, 2015 trade=160 billion
created jobs, increased GDP as well as investment in infrastructure

71
Q

challenges of China and Africa relationship

A

African companies out of business
environmental costs
countries without natural resources are left behind

72
Q

exampled of conflict in Asia due to emerging economic importance

A

China and Hong Kong
China and India

73
Q

how has India reacted to Chinas growing influence in the region

A

strengthening relations with neighbouring countries

74
Q

economic tensions in the middle east

A

region contains 60% of proven oil reserve
often armed conflict is due to fears over energy pathways, effecting the global price of oil
often superpowers will be involved to secure oil supplies for itself and its allies

75
Q

political tensions in the middle east

A

Afghanistan have had unstable government since the soviet union, they are viewed suspiciously by the west, now ruled by the Taliban

76
Q

water tensions in the middle east

A

some countries, such as Jordan, are facing severe water shortages
tensions are highest where water sources are shared (Syria and Iraq)

77
Q

cultural tensions in the middle east

A

most muslim countries are hostile towards the Jewish state of Israel

78
Q

how is debt impacting the USA and the EU after the 2008 global recession

A

reducing public spending to reduce public debt, which could reach levels that worry investors which could cut FDI

79
Q

what are the social costs to the economic challenges in the EU + US

A

cuts in public spending= increased crime rates and reduced social cohesion (rise in nationalist groups)

80
Q

what are the challenges of the economic restructuring in the EU+US

A

though job losses were replaced by service jobs, some communities were left behind increasing pressure of the EU and led to the rise of populist politicians (Trump)

81
Q

how have populist politicians led to inequality in the US

A

policies have increased inequalities by providing tax breaks for the richest while making conditions difficult for the poorest

82
Q

+ and - of navy for maintaining power

A

+ allows countries to protect military dominance
- advances mean aircraft carriers are vulnerable

83
Q

+ and - of intelligence services for maintaining power

A

+ helps protect from threats i.e. terrorists
- volume of data intercepted is more than can be processed

84
Q

+ and - of space exploration for maintaining power

A

+ the space race accelerated innovation in computing, science and technology
- money could be spent elsewhere (reducing enviro degradation)

85
Q

+ and - of air power for maintaining power

A

+ allows a superpower to dominate air space
- drones are cheap so air dominance is made difficult

86
Q

+ and - of nuclear weapons for maintaining power

A

+ deter countries from attacking each other, due to the chance of nuclear retaliation
- expensive, UKs nuclear trident system would cost 100 billion to replace

87
Q

how would the US hegemony continue

A

China faces similar crash to Japan in 1997

88
Q

how would a multi-polar world form

A

emerging powers continue to grow, creating broadly equal powers with only regional influence

89
Q

how would a bi-polar world form

A

China becomes equal power to the US, nations align with one or the other

90
Q

how would an Asia uni-polar world form

A

economic, social and political problems reduce the power of the EU and USA= power shift to Asia

91
Q

who were the players involved in stopping Irans nuclear programme

A

USA applied first sanction
but only when sanctions applied by IGOs (UN and EU) the programme was ended

92
Q

who were the players involved in the Bosnian war

A

NATO enforced no-fly zones
UN peacekeepers established safe zones
IGOs biggest players

93
Q

who were the players involved in the ebola epidemic

A

response was led by NGOs
superpowers (usa and uk) were crucial in stopping spread of disease, both NGOs and countries worked well together