Superpowers Flashcards
Definion of a superpower
A superpower is a country with the ability to project its dominating power and influence anywhere in the world.
E.g. USA
Definition of an emerging power
Emerging superpowers are countries with a large role in one of more superpower characteristics, and with growing influence.
E.g. China, Brazil, India, Russia
Definition of a regional power
Regional powers can project dominating power and influence over other countries within the continent or region.
E.g. UK, Germany, France in Europe
Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Middle East
South Africa and Nigeria in Africa
Characteristics of a superpower
There are 6 superpower characteristics! (Economic, Political, Military, Cultural, Demographic, Natural Resources), used to define which type of power a country is.
Economic as a characteristic of a superpower
1) Economic
Large GDP, high % of international trade, currency used as reserve currency.
A large GDP creates influence as a potential market and as the home of TNCs which create FDI.
Underpins the other 5 characteristics
The USA has the world’s largest total GDP - $18.5 trillion
Political as a characteristic of a superpower
The ability to influence the policies of other countries through the dominance of negotiations. (Both bilaterally and through international organisations.)
Many international organisations do not equally weight members.
Voting power may be determined by economic contribution, historical role in founding of organisation (UN), population etc…
Often due to dominance in other characteristics.
E.g. large economy gives it power in trade talks, military power can make countries a threat - giving them political power
Military strength as a characteristic of a superpower
Military power with a global reach means they can be used to achieve geopolitical goals
Global influence through blue water (ocean going) navy and drone, missile and satellite technology
Indicators of power: army size, defence spending, nuclear weapons, inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), size of blue water navy, being a major arms exporter, presence on/leading international military organisations.
Dependent on demographic power: the number of military personnel that can be deployed
Dependent on economic power: budget determines investment in military technology, which increases power
Russia has the most active nuclear warheads (1790)
The USA is in second place with 1750
Cultural as a characteristics of a superpower
The ability to influence the beliefs, values, ideology and way of life in other countries.
Achieved through:
the dominance of media (films, radio, television, internet, education)
TNCs or migrants introducing cultural products (food, clothing, music, religion)
imposition of viewpoint in international agreements
Indicators: global spread of music, fashion, food, language, religion
The USA has the highest percentage of the world’s 20 largest TNCs - 27%.
Demographic as a characteristic of a superpower
A large population -> a large diaspora and workers at TNCs
Assists economic power through a large market and economies of scale (so more profit).
Means army can be larger.
China has the largest population - 1382 million
Resource as a characteristic of a supowerpowr
Control of access to physical resources: energy, minerals
Provides inputs for economic growth
Means they can be exported at a high price -> economic power
e.g. OPEC and oil
May be internally located, or accessed through reliable source countries through transport pathways.
Essential for military power
Hard power definition
Hard power: using military and economic influence (trade deals, sanctions) to force a country to act in a particular way.
Soft Power Definition
Soft power: more subtle persuasion of countries to act in a particular way, on the basis that the persuader is respected and appealing. Includes political persuasion (diplomacy) and cultural influence.
International rankings of soft power, such as by Monocle magazine, usually place the USA, UK, France and Germany top of the annual rankings. (Western liberal democracies)
What form of power is most, well, powerful
Which is most effective?
Hard power (threats of force or military action) can get results, but it is expensive and risky.
Others may view military action as unnecessary or illegal, so the aggressor may lose allies and moral authority (e.g. Russia’s 2014 invasion of the Crimea)
Soft power relies on a country having respected culture, values and politics, which may be enough to persuade some countries but not others.
Soft power, applied well, is low cost and, because it is about creating alliances and friendly relations, may spread to other countries.
Examples of hard power
Example of hard power - USA:
1991: organised and led the coalition to expel Iraqi forces that had invaded Kuwait in the First Gulf War
2003: invaded Iraq in the Second Gulf War when economic sanctions (softer power) failed to persuade President Saddam Hussein to change policy.
Examples of soft power
Example of soft power - UK:
Described by foreign secretary Douglas Hurd in the 1980s as ‘punching above her weight’D
5th largest economy - attractive market and source of TNC FDI.
Diplomacy - one of the largest networks of diplomats and embassies in the world.
According to Henry Kissinger in the 1970s, the UK benefits from its moral authority.
BBC World Service - more neutral and reliable than many government broadcasters. Worldwide news and programmes.
Films (Pride and Prejudice), television (Downton Abbey) and literature (Harry Potter)
City of London (and New York) dominate international finance, banking and law - setting standards and values
Uni-polar, Bi-polar and Multipolar superpowers
uni-polar: one globally dominant superpower, or hyperpower
one hegemon, unchallenged by other countries (in cultural terms, as well as economic, political and military)
bi-polar: two opposing superpowers, with different ideologies, but broadly equal in status
multi-polar: many broadly equal powers, with regional influence but less global influence
Which pattern of power is most stable
Which pattern of power is more stable, and which brings higher risk?
A uni-polar world should be stable
there is only one ‘top dog’, but the costs of being a hegemon are high and hard to sustain
the USA has been called ‘the world’s policeman’, meaning it is involved in numerous trouble spots all at the same time - increases stability? helps make world safer?
Bi-polar situations, such as the Cold War, involve a tense stand-off between opposing powers and might be described as high risk ‘scary but stable’.
During the Cold War, there were occasions where the USA and USSR almost ended up in a ‘hot’ war
Between the First and Second World Wars, the world was multi-polar with no dominant power. It could be argued that this created a power vacuum allowing the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, with no country prepared to stop them
This has implications for the future. After 2030 the world could be bi-polar (USA and China) or it might be more multi-polar (USA, China, India, EU), having a major impact on geopolitical stability.
Changing importance of forms of power
Which pattern of power is more stable, and which brings higher risk?
A uni-polar world should be stable
there is only one ‘top dog’, but the costs of being a hegemon are high and hard to sustain
the USA has been called ‘the world’s policeman’, meaning it is involved in numerous trouble spots all at the same time - increases stability? helps make world safer?
Bi-polar situations, such as the Cold War, involve a tense stand-off between opposing powers and might be described as high risk ‘scary but stable’.
During the Cold War, there were occasions where the USA and USSR almost ended up in a ‘hot’ war
Between the First and Second World Wars, the world was multi-polar with no dominant power. It could be argued that this created a power vacuum allowing the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, with no country prepared to stop them
This has implications for the future. After 2030 the world could be bi-polar (USA and China) or it might be more multi-polar (USA, China, India, EU), having a major impact on geopolitical stability.
Contemporary power dynamic
Influence of the Heartland Theory:
It persuades the USA, UK, and other European countries that Russia needed to be ‘contained’, i.e. prevented from spreading outward by taking over new areas close by.
It reinforced the idea that control of physical resources (land, mineral wealth) was important.
In the 21st century, these ideas seem antiquated:
Modern military technology (inter-continental ballistic missiles, drones, aircraft carriers, strike aircraft) can hit deep inside another country’s territory - size is no longer a protection.
Physical resources are traded internationally; there is much less need to have them domestically.
War and conflict are generally seen as abnormal, whereas in the past they were accepted ways of gaining power.
Soft power has become more common as a way of gaining influence and maintaining power, by creating economic and political alliances. However, hard power still exists:
In 1991 and 2003, the USA invaded Iraq, partly to secure oil supplies
Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine/Crimea in 2014, claiming to be protecting ethnic Russians.
Imperial Era
The maintenance of power during the imperial period by direct colonial control. (British empire, multipolar world 1919-1939)
The period from 1500 to 1950 was an imperial era (denominated by empires). European powers (Spain, Portugal, Britain, France and Germany) conquered land in the Americas, Africa and Asia and built empires that directly controlled territories. The development of empires relied on:
powerful navies to transport soldiers and equipment to areas of potential conquest, and then protect sea-routes and coastlines from enemies
large and advanced armed forces to conquer territory and then control it
businesses, often government owned, to exploit resources in the conquered territories by mining (gold, tin) and plantation farming (rubber, tea, coffee)
a fleet of merchant ships, protected by a navy, to transport goods back to the home country
people from the home country to act as the government and civil service to run the colonies
Empires were maintained directly by force. Attempts by the conquered people to rebel against the colonial power were brutally suppressed. Britain had the largest empire, reaching its peak in 1920 when it controlled 24% of land globally.
Empires ended in the period 1950-70. European countries gave independence to their colonies, because the costs of maintaining them was too high as Europe rebuilt after WW2. Since 1950, China has effectively acted as a colonial ruler of Tibet, brutally suppressing dissent during rebellions by Tibetans in 1959 and 2008.
Indirect control through political, military, economic and cultural facroes
Political
Dominance in international decision making within the United Nations, G7, World Trade Organisation and others
Some countries have disproportionate influence
Military
The threat of large, powerful armed forces with global reach
Selective arms trading that provides weapons to key allies, but not enemies
Economic
The use of trade deals and trade blocs to create economic alliances that create interdependence between like-minded countries
Cultural
The use of global media (TV, film, music), arts, culture, and global TNC brands to spread the ideology (beliefs, ideas and values - e.g. democracy, capitalism and freedom) and values of a country through consumer culture.
Indirect power
Indirect power became important during the Cold War era 1945-1990. The USA and USSR sought allies among other countries as part of the USA-led ‘West’ or USSR-led ‘East’. This included:
military alliances, e.g. USA (NATO) and the USSR (Warsaw Pact)
foreign aid as a way to ‘buy’ support from developing and emerging nations
support for corrupt and undemocratic regimes in the developing world, in return for their support for the superpower
Some geographers have argued that Western nations continue to control their ex-colonies in the developing world through an indirect mechanism called neo-colonialism, which includes:
a debt-aid relationship, developing countries owe money for past loans to developed countries, but their poverty means they also depend on the hand-outs of foreign aid
poor terms of trade: developing countries export low value commodities (tea, copper, cocoa) but have to import expensive manufactured goods from developed countries
the loss of their brightest and most productive people, who tend to migrate to developed countries if they can
The rise of China as an emerging power since 2000 has led to it being accused of neo-colonial actions in Africa. In addition, it is challenging the hegemony of the USA and former colonial powers (France and Britain) there.
