power and hard power

power

joseph Nye describes power as the ability to influence the behaviours of others to get the outcomes one wants power has been understood in three ways

• power as capability the strength that the state possesses. Capability’s is typically measured in terms of population and territory, recourses, endowment, economic capability, military strength, political stability and competence

• power as a relationship the ability of one state to influence another to do something they have not chosen to do this may be shaped by states perceptions of each others capability’s

• power as structural the power to shape how things are done this involves settings the framework in which states and non state actors operate including influencing their beliefs and perceptions controlling their access to credit or investment shaping defence and economic development agendas

the effectiveness of hard power

• hard power is coercive power, wielded through threats, such as military intervention or economic sanctions or inducements

• for example the promise of military protection or the reduction of trade barriers hard power is generally conceived in terms of capabilities.

strengths of hard power

• realists see the world in terms of sovereign states to guarantee their own survival with military force as their ultimate instrument for example trumps policy of peace through strength calling for an extra 54bn for tanks ships and weapons system in his first budget

• the response to acts of terrorism has been military force for example air strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria

• economic globalisation makes state war too costly so states compete through trade rather than war economic inducements are cheaper and more effective for example china has committed 74bn in aid since 2000 to strengthen its grip on Africa’s natural resources

weakness of hard power

• the use of military power has damaged the credibility and international standing of the states that employ it for example the collapse of the USAs international reputation after Afghanistan an Iraq leading to shift in policy after Obama

• military conflict by stronger states against states with less capability have proved difficult to win due to strategies of guerrilla warfare and terrorism for example the issues faced by the USA in Iraq and Afghanistan

• economic sanctions only work on smaller countries seeking access to global economy for example sanctions on north Korea have effected their population but not their foreign policy or pursuit of nuclear weapons