Superpowers mocks 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
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 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
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
what is geopolitical stability?
how well different governments get on with each other
- the relationship between Putin and trump shows one of instability
what is a proxy war?
it is when you pick a side in a war, it is a war instigate by a major power which does not itself become involved, e.g. this was seen in the case of the Korean War which resulted in the division of Korea where US backed south Korea and the USSR backed North Korea
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
explain the rise of china as a potential rival to the USA’s hegemony?
- in 1998 the berlin wall fell, followed by east Germany’s communist gov, other Eastern European communist Govs also fell leaving the USA as the sole superpower in a uni-polar world.
- but china’s rapid economic growth and the USA’s dependance on china for manufactured goods has challenged the USA’s power
- china seeking global influence through investment in africa and is expanding its military
- however china still censors the internet and limits personal freedoms
explain 4 ways of in how indirect control particularly Neo-colonial control can be used to influence other countries and exert your power
1) 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
2) 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
3) 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
4) money 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’
explain the G20
they are the richest 20 nations in the world, 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
- 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
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 and weaknesses 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)
- geostrategic location for trade and defence, belt and road initiative aims o gain a geo-economic presence of central Asia’s heartland (EN)
- most populous country in the world, 4x pop of the USA, large workforce (D)
weaknesses:
- deeply polarised between ideals (republic vs democratic), authoritarian gov leads to lack of power (P)
- 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 (M)
- the Chinese are suffering from an identity crisis, when traditional Chinese values meet global culture under the circumstance of globalisation, cultural erosion due to TNCs (C)
what is an import substitution economy?
altartic development, substituted anything they needed by using what they produce, favouring your own producers