Superpowers Flashcards
7.1a What is a superpower?
a country with the ability to projects its dominating power and influence anywhere in the world
7.1a What is an emerging power?
are countries with a large role in one of more superpower characteristics, and with growing influence.
7.1a What is a regional power?
can project dominating power and influence over other countries within the continent or region.
7.1a give an example of a regional power
Saudi Arabia -largest country in Middle East -oil industry - 16% of oil deposits -most highly funded military in the middle east $80bn
7.1a What is a hyper power?
an unchallenged superpower that is dominant in all aspects of power (political, economic, cultural, military)
7.1a What is a diplomacy?
the negotiation and decision-making that takes place between nations as part of international relations, leading to international agreements and treaties
7.1a What are the characteristics of a superpower?
- economic
- political
- military
- cultural
- demographic
- resources
7.1a What is economic power?
– It is essential for power. A large and powerful economy gives nations the wealth to build and maintain a powerful military, exploit natural resources and develop human ones through education.
7.1a What is military power?
– the threat of military action is powerful bargaining chip, also can be used to achieve geopolitical goals. Blue water navy, drone, missile and satellite technology can be deployed globally and reach distant places.
7.1a What is blue water navy?
One which can deploy into the open ocean (large, ocean-going ships) – many countries only have a green water navy designed to patrol littoral water (close to the nations coastline)
7.1a What is political power?
the ability to influence others through diplomacy to get their way is important and is exercised through international organisations such as UN and WTO.
7.1a What are the economic characteristics of a superpower?
- 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.
7.1a What are the political characteristics of a superpower?
•The ability to influence the policies of other countries through the dominance of negotiations. (Both bilaterally and through international organisations.)
-Voting power may be determined by economic contribution, historical role in founding of organisation (UN), population
•Often due to dominance in other characteristics.
oE.g. large economy gives it power in trade talks, military power can make countries a threat - giving them political power
7.1a What are the military characteristics 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
7.1a What are the cultural 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
-Westernisation, Americanisation
7.1a What are the demographic characteristics 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
7.1a What are the resources characteristics of a superpower?
- Control of access to physical resources: energy, minerals
- Provides inputs for economic growth
- Means they can be exported at a high price -> economic power
- May be internally located or accessed through reliable source countries through transport pathways.
- Essential for military power
7.1a What is the global presence index split into?
Economy, defence and soft presence (culture, media, migration, tourism)
7.1b What is hard power?
represents a coercive approach to international relations and employs the use of military or economic power to achieve certain outcomes.
-The underlying theme of Hard Power is coercion and states use such power to influence weaker states to comply with their will.
7.1b What does hard power include?
- military intervention or protection, economic sanctions, or reduction of trade barriers.
- Display sends strong signal to any disputes
7.1b Advantages of hard power
- fast-acting so results are seen quickly
- gain allies both economic and military
- useful when soft is working
- useful against extremists who are disturbing the general population
- tangible - see what’s going on
7.1b Disadvantages of hard power
- can damage a country’s international image - loss of credibility leads to lack of international cooperation as attitudes of mistrust grows
- invasions, war don’t always go to plan
- no long term benefits
- expensive
- can be risky
- Some may view military action as unnecessary or illegal – so the aggressor may lose allies and moral authority
7.1b Give an example of hard power
USA
- USA organised and led the coalition to expel Iraqi forces that had invaded Kuwait in the First Gulf War (1991)
- Invaded Iraq in the Second Gulf War when economic sanctions (softer power) failed to persuade President Saddam Hussein to change policy (2003)
7.1b What is soft power?
- A persuasive approach to international political relations, involving the use of a nation’s cultural, historical and diplomatic influence.
- Soft Power is the ability of a state to indirectly convince others to desire its goals and vision. This persuasive approach is applied through cultural, historical and/or diplomatic means.
- Enterprise, culture, digital, government, engagement, education
- Sovereign wealth fund