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
how do the developed countries defavorise the developing nations
- they exploit their workforce and resources, as they become wealthier though they will no longer be able to do this
- neo-colonial mechanisms and a net transfer of wealth from developing to developed world are responsible
- tariffs are added to any processed imports, this imbalance in the terms of trade remains unfavourable to developing countries
- to escape this cycle, the developing countries must retain their primary products and invest in processing and manufacturing, thus adding value and employment
how do global superpowers use the world bank to promote free trade and capitalism
- its main role is to help capitalism function particularly through making loans to developing countries for development projects
- over 40% of the total votes lie in the hands of eight of the largest contributors thus enforcing a capitalist mentality in most of their decisions
- in 2016, the USA controlled 16.5% of World Bank votes, all decisions will be made to favour these capitalist countries, reduce trade restrictions in these countries
- the world bank gained a bad reptuation in 1970s and 80s for financing projects that were either environmentally damaging or meant that countries were unable to pay back the loan
- its main role is to help capitalism function- particularly by making loans to developing countries for development projects
How do global superpowers use the IMF to promote free trade and capitalism?
- the IMF is a fund that is used for loans to help those countries facing heavy debts thus helping to stabilise their economies
- the IMF reflects US and EU interests, they can obtain the political decisions that are the most favourable to their interests
- the EU nations collectively have 25% of the IMF’s votes and so their interest are closely tied with the IGO, rather than the interests of the indebted countries
- the IMF promotes capitalism, those who have invested more into the fund have a greater voting power, this is the USA, the top 10 members control over 60% of the IMF’s total voting rights
how do global superpowers use the WTO to promote free trade and capitalism?
- they have favoured the neo-colonialist tendencies of its rich members
- decision making is by mutual agreement but most bargaining favours the EU and the USA
- its aim is to free up global trade and reduce trade barriers by negotiating free trade agreements however these agreements often favour the global superpowers by supporting their industries
- the USA and the EU, as the US are an original member, therefore both of these powers have a ‘large voice’ in the IGO and can protect and advance their economic interests for their businesses and workers to help support growth of their economies.
- The WTO have failed to stop developed nations from dominating the IGO, as they have let them protect their own industries through subsidies, for example with the EU farmer being subsidised, so developing nations have lost out.
- The USA’s power also allows it to sway decision making in its direction, as they win 85% of cases brought and win many cases brought against them.
- Again, the EU and USA clearly combine their power to block policies that infringe on them and bring cases against China to try to diminish their power.
- China is a relatively new member within the WTO but their influence has grown and many other Asian nations vote in accordance with Chinese ideas, to help support trade within the East. However, they have further to go to develop their strength against the more powerful members
how do global superpowers use the WEF to promote free trade and capitalism?
- it is pro free-trade and pro-TNCs, this often favours the richer nations as you can only be accepted into the WEF by invitation, they allow the richest nations that undertake the most trade and have capitalist views, they need to be politically stable
- business CEOs, academics, political elite leaders and IGO representatives attend these meetings in Davos, they often have a very much capitalist view on the world and so the decisions made will favour their political ideologies
- gives superpowers more influence as TNCs can benefit from government policies such as low taxation
- it discusses ideas such as corruption and encourages governments to set up global links
- they work to encourage public-private co-operation and this will enable countries to form trade agreements and aid the expansion of emerging economies
explain what happened to Saudi Arabia in terms of their role in IGOs
- they have been shunned off the UN human rights board, Russia and china are becoming much more powerful in this, very corrupt
- the Saudi Arabian prince had gotten away with murder, lots of crimes, as much as it is legal in their country, this by no means supports the aim of the organisation
what are TNCs referred as and what is the difference between public and state-led TNCs, how does one use the different types of TNCs
‘architects of globalisation’ (exerting soft power)
public TNCs- people can buy shares in them, cultural control and more soft power, e.g. apple
state-led TNCs- they are owned by the government, china monopolise their economy, they embrace this, e.g. commercial bank of china
have enough state-owned TNCs (tend to be utilities, e.g. gas, oil) whilst using public TNCs for the spread of soft power and ideologies
what are unicorn companies and explain the changes in the number of these companies
they are a startup company valued at over $1 billion
- there are more unicorn companies than ever before, very much increased after 2014
- improvements in technology, innovation, growth of domestic markets, growth in the middle class
- social media exploded in 2014, marketing platform, growth in influences, this gave the ability to start a business with little overheads, much easier to set up a business
How do public TNCs impact the global economy in terms of technology and trade patterns through the spread of economic and cultural globalisation?
The main companies in the fortune 500 global companies are from north America, Europe and then followed by SE Asia, meaning that our world has increasingly adopted a western culture following their ideologies, the dominance of the US in terms of global trade has meant that they have been able to portray their capitalist ideals into foreign countries
- in the 2000s, global trade increased in value by over 85%, part of this is due to the global shift in manufacturing leading to a shifting economic power to emerging economies, making TNCs extremely powerful, top 200 TNCs made up 25% of the world’s economic output
- UNCTAD estimated in 2013 that TNCs now account for 80% of all global trade
- lots of intellectual property are patented in order to protect their ideas and prevent globalisation allowing for counterfeiting goods, they patent their ideas
- link between areas with the most amount of TNCs and the amount of counterfeited goods, by operating on a global scale they need to be sure that their ideas are not stolen by other countries through cultural globalisation. Form of protection
- TNC creation of new technologies helps to maintain military superiority for hard power
- through patenting goods it means that they can raise money in order to further innovate technology for example, the US has the greatest number of patented goods which allows them to earn money to invest in tech and trade
How do state-led TNCs impact the global economy in terms of technology and trade patterns through the spread of economic and cultural globalisation?
- often these start-led TNCs are used to monopolise their economy and embrace privatisation, they don’t like the idea of sharing ideas and so economic and cultural globalisation is rather restricted, global trade lower
- all profits go back to the state and so in terms of repatriation of profits internationally, this is not the case.
- state-led TNCs do not go through cultural globalisation, they solely operate by the traditional values of the country, not on a global scale
- state-led TNCs are found in countries with communist command economies or mixed economies such as China and Russia and so they do not often promote cultural globalisation and free trade
explain the rise in TNCs
- started in 18th and 19th century, east India company
- in 2015 there were over 75,000 TNCs, top 200 made up 25% of the world’s economic output
- it is argued that the dominance of the USA post 1990s plus input from the WTO. spurred growing, embracing capitalism, they are argued to have a competitive advantage
what is the difference between the Fortune 500 and the global 500
Fortune 500
- america’s largest companies, Walmart no.1 for the past 8 years
- these companies allow for the spread of capitalist and American values
global 500
- world’s largest companies by revenue
- $33.3 trillion revenue in 2019
- employ over 60 million
- saudi aramco emerged as 6th, only developing nation
explain the TNC saudi Aramco
- it is the most valuable company in the world, involving all their assets they are more valuable than apple
- owns 20% of world’s reserves of petroleum
- oil and gas sector accounts for 50% of their GDP
- they have a different legal system due to their religion. they go against capitalist and westernisation due to the qu’aran
Which type of TNC, public or state-led have been more important in assisting China’s rise to superpower status?
State-led
- they operate commercially but all profits go back to the state, they tend to be less global
- china have been able to monopolise their economy through having state-led TNCs, these have made a lot of money, as much as they don’t allow for soft power it has meant that china have been able to expand their GDP
- through the money going back to the state it has meant that China have been smart in their TNC use will all profits going to infrastructure, education, healthcare and energy allowing for rich sovereign wealth funds and neo-colonial investments, this has allowed them to increase their stability
e. g. bank of china
Why is having a high global cultural influence such an important aspect of power and how does this cultural influence link to economic and technological influences?
- through the USA spreading their capitalist and American values it has meant that the have been able to gain soft power, impact of western culture
- the influence of international foods in supermarkets in the UK, soft power is arguably the greatest form of obtaining long-term power
- westernisation has led to technological and economic influences through adopting the idea that accumulating wealth and owning property indicate a successful life. The importance of having the latest technology and the idea that technology can solve problems
- the desire to have access to the world’s most famous global brands is a powerful driving force behind the process of westernisation
- all of the top ten global brands in 2016 originate from the USA, every aspect of their business model will be displaying the American values and ideals and so one may argue that the world is starting to display the American way of life, focus on technology and work hard ethic to be rewarded
- movies that are shown around the world are arguably one of the best ways of spreading your cultural influence as you are able to easily display the way of life and traditions of a country on a global scale
- refer back to benefits of soft power
explain the use of patents
- TNCs invest huge amounts of money in research and development and so ideas and creations are patented to ensure the rights of the inventor are protected, usual for 20 years, during which time they can make a profit from their discovery or invention, this forces innovation, competitors are forced to innovate better products
- the WTO created our current patenting to try and protect ‘western’ companies from competition
- however china is very skilled at creating counterfeited goods
- china havent been able to innovate products that are worth patenting, they dont have the skills or education, hacking and stealing technologies to gain access, counterfeiting in china however they are starting to become a lot more serious on patenting goods
- patents allow for top researchers to fund future research, cure of cancer, no incentive otherwise
what is a patent?
a patent is the granting of the exclusive right of ownership and possession of intellectual property by a state to an inventor for a fixed period of time
what are the downside of patents on global pharmaceuticals
patents on global pharmaceuticals
- little investment in treatment for diseases in developing countries due to little profit, the patents meant that global firms don’t develop rarer medications due to lower revenue, many need access to clean water but it is dirty in many cases
- most patents are held by American or european companies making medication expensive, e.g. new treatments for HIV are very expensive, widespread barrier to HIV treatment in sub-saharan africa
- the patents have meant that competitors are producing sub-standard replacements, perhaps not as safe
BUT
- companies such as glaxosmithkline work with developing countries to improve their image (Melinda gates)
- WTO is working to bend the rules for developing countries and allow cheaper imports, large export costs, get rid of taxes
what is the downside of patents on gm crops
- farmers are forced to sign contracts to either agree to use certain TNC owned fertilisers or to not plant from seed the following year
- GM engineers can prevent their seeds from germinating so every year new seeds need to be bought
- over 1 billion of the worlds poorest people rely on saved seeds and instead have to buy new ones every year
- under patent laws they own every crop produced by their seeds, the crops are controlled by TNCs
how do patents reinforce the development models
- reinforces the dependency theory of frank, dependant on the source countries for medication, they have to pay whatever the price or go to sub-standard substitutes
- questions rostow’s model as hampering the development of poorer nations, not giving access to drugs meaning people are dying, removing patents would lead to the global derivation of communism
what are the three ways in which superpowers and emerging national play a key role in global action (explained)?
1) crisis response
- poor nations rely on aid from superpowers for recovery, e.g. Haiti, their appeals for assistance after their hurricane only brought in 25% of what it needed
- they are less resilient to crises and so rely on the richer nations for recovery
- natural disasters, famine or a serious disease outbreak
- the 2014 ebola epidemic, the USA, UK and france led the crisis response in Liberia, Sierra Leone and guinea, deploying military and medical assets
2) conflict
- the usa supporting Afghanistan through providing weapons and recruiting fighters, with the American funding they resisted soviet troops, preventing the conflict spreading out into other countries
- responding to conflict, such as the threat from al-qaeda or ISIS
- since 2001, the USA has led a global effort against islamic terroism in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, east africa and the Middle East
3) climate change
- they are being called upon to play a key role in global action against climate change
- they are the largest emitters and so they are key to engaging in climate agreements
explain the UN security council and their problems
- rose after WW2 when Roosevelt envisioned a council including USA, UK, Russia and china to be responsible in maintaining global peace, france joined after, this was done to ensure global security, there are 10 other non-permanent members
their role:
- to maintain international peace and security through cooperating in solving international problems and harmonise the actions of nations
step 1: special convoys, mediation fact finding missions
step 2: if things become hostile they must issue ceasefire directives, deploy peacekeeping troops
step 3: enforcement measures including economic sanctions, withdrawal of diplomats or an arms embargoes (ban on buying arms)
step 4: the authorisation of ‘all necessary measures’ by multinational forces, putting in stooped, man to man conflict
cons:
- bureaucratic (lots of paperwork)
- everyone has a different political ideology and so it is hard to come to big decisions
what is geopolitical intervention?
when you get involved in a different country for political reasons
what are the military, economic and environmental alliances?
military - NATO - ANZUS economic -NAFTA - EU - ASEAN environmental - IPCC
for NATO: what is their main role, who is involved and what are their pros and cons
who is involved: 30 members
their role: to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political or military means and promote democratic values and prevent conflict through the peaceful resolution of disputes
pros:
- their share interest of keeping the west together against the soviet threat
- shared ideologies and no conflicts in interests, work together on shared challenges, e.g. the rise of North Korea
- they transformed Europe after the war from one that was divided to one that is free and at peace, promoted the need for cooperation to promote global peace, geopolitical stability
cons:
- western norms and values are challenged due to the rise of the east and powers such as china with a growing geostrategic importance of the pacific and Indian ocean
- they are a very large alliance and so it is difficult for decisions to be made quickly
for ANZUS: what is their main role, who is involved and what are their pros and cons
who is involved: Australia, New Zealand and the USA
their role: to co-operate on military matters in the pacific and beyond
pros: it has helped the USA to maintain its military presence in the pacific and for Australia and new Zealand to provide military forces for Afghanistan
cons: makes australia and new Zealand more at risk from north korea due to their disagreements with the US, target for hostile countries like north korea to get better hold of the US
for the EU: what is their main role, who is involved and what are their pros and cons
who is involved: 31 member states
their role: aims to bind economies and reduce trade barriers between the member states through adopting a common set of values governing trade facilitated through their single currency
pros:
- it adopts a policy of convergence to reduce inequalities between its richest and poorest countries
- through having set regulations it allows for a level playing field
- fairness and global stability as all to the same standard
cons: increased tensions between those who support a greater convergence and right-wing political parties calling for separation
for NAFTA: what is their main role, who is involved and what are their pros and cons
who is involved: USA, canada and Mexico
what is their main role:
- to eliminate any barriers to trade between the three countries and boost trade/prosperity, they aim to resolve any trade disputes seen through tensions from unemployment
pros:
- quadrupled trade, boosted economic growth and lowered prices for consumers
- they have been able to reduce their reliance on the Middle East for oil
- fostering a neutral environment in order to address shared challenges and promote peace and global stability, previous disputes with US workers moving to Mexico
- more interdependent economies in car manufacturing parts are found in all 3 countries and so this reduces their reliance on Japanese imports, they work together to promote development
cons:
- NAFTA’s competitive pressure on Mexico led to increase in fertilisers, environmental damage
- conflicts with those moving to Mexico for cheaper manufacturing
- workers in Mexico are often exploited
