Superpowers

• Emerging powers are countries which are rapidly developing economically and politically but do not yet possess the military or economic might of a superpower.
• Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa are all emerging powers that have the potential to become superpowers in the future
• The USA has been considered as the sole superpower since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• What is a super power

  A superpower is a country with the ability to project its dominating power and influence
• Mechanisms of maintaining power sit on a spectrum from 'hard' to 'soft' power
• Hard power involves using military and economic influence (trade deals, sanctions) to force a country to act in a particular way
• Soft power involves more subtle persuasion of countries to act in a particular way, based on respect and appeal
• International rankings of soft power usually place the USA, UK, France, and Germany at the top
• Joseph Nye of Harvard University coined the terms hard and soft power in 1990
• In the 21st century, successful countries combine hard and soft power into smart power
• Trade agreements and selective development aid lie somewhere in between hard and soft power
• Effectiveness of hard power:

  • Can get results but is expensive and risky
  • May lead to loss of allies and moral authority if viewed as unnecessary or illegal
• Effectiveness of soft power:

  • Relies on respected culture, values, and politics
  • Low cost and can spread to other countries through alliances and friendly relations
• Example of hard power - USA:

  • Organized and led the coalition to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the First Gulf War
  • Invaded Iraq in the Second Gulf War after economic sanctions failed to persuade President Saddam Hussein
• Example of soft power - UK:

  • Described as 'punching above her weight' in the 1980s
  • 5th largest economy, attractive market, and source of TNC FDI
  • Benefits from moral authority according to Henry Kissinger
  • BBC World Service, films, television, literature, and dominance in international finance, banking, and law
• Superpowers are countries with the ability to project dominating power and influence worldwide
• Examples of superpowers include the USA
• Emerging superpowers have a large role in superpower characteristics and growing influence
• Examples of emerging superpowers are China, Brazil, India, and Russia
• Regional powers can project dominating power and influence within a specific continent or region
• Examples of regional powers include the UK, Germany, and France in Europe
• Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Middle East
• South Africa and Nigeria in Africa
• There are 6 superpower characteristics used to define the type of power a country is
• The 6 superpower characteristics are: Economic, Political, Military, Cultural, Demographic, and Natural Resources
• Economic superpower characteristic:
• Large GDP, high % of international trade, currency used as reserve currency
• A large GDP creates influence as a potential market and home of TNCs which create FDI
• The USA has the world's largest total GDP - $18.5 trillion
• Political superpower characteristic:
• Ability to influence policies of other countries through dominance in negotiations
• Voting power in international organisations may be determined by economic contribution, historical role, population, etc.
• Military superpower characteristic:
• Military power with global reach used to achieve geopolitical goals
• Indicators of military power include army size, defence spending, nuclear weapons, etc.
• Russia has the most active nuclear warheads (1790)
• The USA is in second place with 1750
• Cultural superpower characteristic:
• Ability to influence beliefs, values, ideology, and way of life in other countries
• Achieved through media dominance, TNCs, migrants, and international agreements