Superpowers COPY Flashcards
what is a superpower?
A superpower is a country with the ability to project its dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, e.g. the USA, USSR and British empire in the late 1940s
what is an emerging power?
Countries with a large role in one or more superpower characteristics and with a growing influence, they are experiencing a transition in terms of their economic structure. e.g. china, Brazil, India
what is a regional power?
they can project dominating power and influence over other countries within the continent or region. they influence other countries at a continental scale
e.g. South Africa in Africa or Saudi Arabia in the Middle East
what are the 6 superpower characteristics categorised under?
- economic
- political
- military
- cultural
- demographic
- natural resources
explain the economic characteristics of a superpower
- seen as a prerequisite of power
- large GDP, high % of international trade, currency used as reserve currency, the EU and the USA produce over 40% of global GDP
- a large GDP creates influence as a potential market and as the home of TNCs which create FDI, gives the wealth to build and maintain a powerful military, exploit natural resources and develop human ones through education
- USA have the largest GDP- $18.5 trillion
- determine global economic policies, by joining political and economic organisations such as the G20
explain the political power characteristic of superpowers
- political power is the ability to influence the policies of other countries through diplomacy
- IGOs often do not equally weight members, voting power determined by economic contribution, historical role in founding of organisation (UN), population
- often due to dominance in other characteristics, e.g. large economy gives power in trade talks, military powers makes them a political threat
- G20, political power, they are a significant decision-making from
explain the military power characteristic of superpowers
- the threat of military action is a powerful bargaining chip and military force can be used to achieve geopolitical goals
- achieve global influence through a blue water navy (large ships for the open ocean) and missile and satellite technology
- indicators of military power include:
army size
defence spending
nuclear weapons
size of blue water navy
arms exporter
whether they are leading international military organisation - dependent on demographic power (no. of military personnel that can be deployed) and economic power (budget determines degree of investment)
- many see membership of the UN Security Council as the ultimate status of military power
- china have expanded their military but their interests lie mainly in the Asia region, south china sea, influence beyond there is minor
explain the cultural power characteristics of superpowers
cultural power includes how appealing a nation’s way of life, values and ideology are to others
this is achieved by:
- the dominance of media, they decide what music and films are played
- TNCs or migrant introducing cultural products
- imposition of viewpoint in international agreements
indicators include: global spread of music, fashion, food, language, religion
- WESTERNISATION
- the USA have the highest percentage of the world’s largest TNCs- 27%
- three record companies dominate UK music production
explain the demographic power characteristics of superpowers
- a large population leads to a large diaspora and greater no. of workers at TNCs, providing a sufficient labour force to generate economic growth
- demographic power also assists economic power through providing a large market and economies of scale (so more profit)
- despite a large pop being beneficial for economic growth, you can have a very strong economy without a big pop (Singapore)
- china and India each use their large populations as a source of cheap labour
explain the power of resources as a characteristic of a superpower
- the control of access to physical resources such as energy and minerals
- provides inputs for economic growth because their resources can be exported at a high price, making it essential for economic growth
- resources may be internally located or access through reliable source countries using transport pathways
- 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
- 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 and Britain from 1850 to 1910
what is hard power?
it represents a coercive approach to international relations and employs the use of military or economic power to achieve certain outcomes
- introduced by Joseph Nye
what is soft power?
a persuasive approach for countries to act in a particular way, on the basis that the persuader is respected and appealing. it includes political persuasion (diplomacy) and cultural influence.
- introduced by Joseph Nye
- western liberal democracies have the greatest international rankings of soft power
- the moral authority of a nation’s foreign policy
what are the benefits and drawbacks of soft power?
benefits:
- through the diffusion of their culture worldwide it gives them a global presence without the need to directly invest in the country, adopt their way of life, many rely on soft power for overseas influence
- the indirect effects of attraction and diffused influence can make a significant difference in obtaining favourable outcomes in bargaining situations
drawbacks:
- takes a long time to effect whereas hard power takes little time
- Soft power relies on a country having respected culture, values and politics, which may be enough to persuade some countries but not others, especially if they are culturally and ideologically very different.
give an example of soft power
UK
- diplomacy, they have one of the largest networks of diplomats and embassies in the world
- the BBC, they global service allows them to broadcast their English values across the world
- City of London (and New York) dominate international finance, banking and law - setting standards and values
what are the benefits and drawbacks to hard power?
benefits:
- it is fast acting so you can see the results better, you can achieve quick results by using hard power, quite tangible
- you cannot rise up without hard power, you must show your importance through military or economic power
drawbacks:
- even if the results of hard power are fast, they aren’t very long lasting
- the use of hard power makes people suffer, doesn’t allow people to have an independent opinion, countries may view the enforcement of military action as illegal and unnecessary, the aggressor may lose allies and moral authority (Russia’s invasion into Crimea)
what are examples of hard power
- the gulf war
- the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by US-led forces
- the American-led war in Afghanistan
which characteristic of superpowers is arguably the most important for maintaining power?
Strong economic factors
- at the end of the day if a country isn’t rich then it’ll limit them in all the other characteristics of a superpower. They won’t be able to afford a strong military base nor be able to have access to high levels of trade due to a lack of skilled workers and barriers to investment perhaps through infrastructure and education
- usa and china are such strong superpowers as through their wealth and focus on education they have been able to attract large amounts of investment, not only this but through their wealth they have accumulated lots of hard power through military bases,
what is smart 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 one’s influence and establish legitimacy of one’s action
- it is a combination of both hard and soft power
explain mackinder’s geo-strategic location theory
in 1904 Halford mackinder identified a region that he called the heartland which stretched from Eastern Europe into russia. he believed that the heartland was the key geo-strategic location in the world because control of it commanded a huge proportion of the world’s physical and Human Resources
- he argued that whoever would control the heartland would control the world
- the further away from the heartland a country was, the less influence it would have
- the heartland is very hard to invade due to the physical barriers in place
- mackinder believed that russia should be the world’s global power due to its favourable location and resources but suffered from two disadvantages: it has many borders, due to frozen ground it has few year-round ports
- some argue that the Middle East is now the 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
- it shows how the centre is ‘pulled’ towards the country/region with the largest GDP so it shows the importance of the British industrial revolution in 19th century to then lead to a shift towards the USA in 20th century due to their industrial rise
- the changing positions between 2000 and the predicted change by 2025 reflect the growing importance of china
- power has changed overtime, different power structures bring different levels of stability
what are the advantages and disadvantages of amckinfders theory?
Advantages:
- it reinforced the idea that control of physical resources (land, mineral wealth) was important
- after WWI, attempts were made to limit Germany’ expansion into this strategic area
- after WWII, NATO allies tried to contain the soviets from expanding into south and west Europe
- underpins what is still going on today, can be easily applied to modern geopolitics
Disadvantages:
- physical resources are traded internationally now due to the global shift, there is much less need to have them domestically and so naturally the resources are spread out of its countries of origin
- resources can easily be transported around the world and advances in military technology means armies can much more influence without needing to colonise other nations
what is geopolitical stability?
how well different governments get on with each other
- the relationship between Putin and trump shows one of instability