superpowers

superpower definition

a nation with the ability to project its influence anywhere in the world and be a dominant global force

hyperpower

an unchallenged superpower that is dominant in all aspects of power (cultural, economic, political, military)

blue water navy compared to green water navy

blue water navy - one that is deployed in open ocean

green water navy - one that is deployed in littoral waters (close to shore)

diplomacy

negotiation and decision making that takes place between nations

emerging superpowers

nations with significant influence that is growing e.g. china, Russia, India

regional superpowers

have strong influence within their region but are less powerful outside e.g. Nigeria, Australia

pillars of superpowers 1. economic power

• high GDP and levels of trade, including control over trade

• home to many TNCs

• powerful currency (euros, dollars)

• determine economic policies (G20, Trade blocs)

2. military power

• high spending, large amounts of hardware and personnel, including nuclear weapons

• could command global military control

• unparalleled intelligence networks

• not just about size but about standard of technology e.g USA has good tech

3. demographic factors

• significant percentage of global population

• attracts skilled migrants an other workers

4. access to natural resources

• able to export and control the supply of valuable commodities e.g oil or be able to secure the resources it needs

• multiple resources make a country less dependant on others

5. physical size and geographical position

• a location that helps it command influence

• a larger country may have more resources

• not landlocked

• friendly neighbours to avoid conflict

6. cultural influence

• long standing tradition and rich cultural history or ways of life is voluntarily enjoyed by many around the world e.g. music fashion film dance and food

• transmission of ideology USA = capitalism and liberalism

Hard and Soft power

hard = military presence. military action or threat of it. alliances e.g NATO. diplomatic threats to use force if negotiation fails. economic sanctions

economic = favouring certain trade partners. trade blocs + alliances. giving allies economic and technical help. using aid to influence policy

soft = culture and ideology. media promoting particular messages. values and ideology of some nations is seen as appealing. exporting culture through film and tv

Mackinders geo-strategic location theory

• there is a heartland extending from Eastern Europe to Russia with a pivot in the centre

• whoever controlled this area would be a superpower

• USA tried to hide/contain this ideology to prevent Russia

• this heartland has 50% of world’s resources]

• is now outdated due to the rise of soft power.

smart power

a combination of hard and soft mechanisms to get their own way. this is necessary because war and conflict often do not go as planned and fails to achieve the aims and soft power alone may not persuade especially if culture and ideology are very different.

sharp power

the power of manipulation, such as attempts to interfere in other countries democratic elections or manipulate views on social media. this type is increasingly important.

stats for China, USA, UK

china

total GDP - 18.7 trillion 2nd

total population - 1.4 billion 2nd

total military spending - 235 billion 2nd

number of nuclear warheads - 600 3rd

number of global Fortune 500 companies - 128 2nd

USA

total GDP - 29.2 trillion 1st

total population - 340 million 3rd

total military spending - 986 billion 1st

number of nuclear warheads - 5177 2nd

number of global Fortune 500 companies - 139 1st

UK

total GDP - 5.7 trillion 6th

total population - 68.2 million 21st

total military spending - 81.1 billion 5th

number of nuclear warheads - 225 5th

number of global Fortune 500 companies - 17 6th

how is China allowing more tourism

• visa optimisation - expanding visa free access

• flight resumption - increasing international flights

• payment flexibility - introducing diverse payment options to cater to international tourists

• customs efficiency - smoother entry to the country

• global campaigns - launching international marketing campaigns

acculturation

a process of cultural change that takes place when two different cultures meet and interact. it includes the transfer of a dominant culutre’s ideas onto a subordinate culture.

types of polarity

unipolar - one superpower. good because a single superpower can dominate the world and act as the police but bad because it is impossible to police the whole world.

bipolar - two superpowers. good because smaller blocs are easier to control but bad because a breakdown in diplomacy could lead to global conflict

multipolar - multiple superpowers. good because no single country is powerful enough to dominate the world and international cooperation is necessary but bad because if countries don’t want to share power this could lead to conflict and numerous trade blocs competing is complex.

colonialism definition 

• direct control exerted over territories conquered by mainly European powers in the period of 1600-1900

• European empires and superpowers, particularly the British empire, shaped the world during this time

• from the 1600s-1800s the world was considered multipolar. by 1950 the major superpower is the British Empire. this time is considered unipolar then 1910-1945 the world was considered multipolar 

success of colonialism

• railway lines were built throughout colonies and were used to transport goods and military forces quickly between places 

• education for all colonial states was improved as schools were set up. this has led to increased international migration to fill skills shortages in other countries after ww2 

• the English and other European languages were spread across the world, which allowed colonies to participate in global businesses and become hubs for outsourcing services today  

negatives of colonialism

• the majority of crops grown in colonies were bought by the colonising empire at extremely low prices. this left farmers with little profit to invest in their own futures

• man colonies did not have their own governments which lead to rebellions and strong protests for independence 

• discriminating policies were established to segregate British and European migrants from the original population. these polices remained in some countries until recent years 

reasons why colony collapsed

• after ww1 and ww2 many colonial powers were left bankrupt as they had to spend so much on war efforts that they could no longer afford to control or maintain their colonies 

• after ww1 and ww2, colonial powers focused mainly on rebuilding their home countries and so they focused less on the colonies 

• anti-colonial movements and sentiment gained popularity both in colonies themselves as well as the empires that owned them. this increased the demand for independence and forced colonial powers out

between ww1 and ww2

• by 1910 the British empire was at its height but as Germany was expanding, Russia was revived and Japan was rapidly industrialising it led to a geopolitically complex multipolar world 

the world after colonialism

• after ww2 the British empire, USA, and USSR

• however war had left Britain bankrupt and indebted to USA. many independence movements had meant the British empire has lost many colonies

• while Britain continued to have an empire until 1997 it no longer had global dominance. world was then bipolar 

Rostow’s modernisation theory

• breaks down economic development of a country into a series of five simple steps or stages of growth leading on from each other in linear order

1. traditional society - a country’s economy is based on primary industry, gathering and exporting raw materials for income. there is little technology, meaning traditional cultures, religions, and values still exist 

2. preconditions for take off - increase in demand for a country’s raw materials, increasing GDP due to higher exports. this allows for more money to be spent on building infrastructure projects and leads to increased FDI and a push towards secondary industry 

3. take off - rapid push towards industrialisation, furthering the growth of secondary industry leading to higher employment and higher GDP

4. drive to maturity - higher GDP and economic growth as well as higher tax revenue which allows for greater investment and improvement in quality of life. tertiary industry starts to grow

5. high mass consumption - final stage where countries have high disposable income and free market guides decisions 

evaluation

• eurocentric 

• IMF and world bank followed these steps for LICs but it led to little economic growth 

Frank’s dependency theory

• wanted to explain why newly independent nations were still underdeveloped

• these countries were part of a global periphery to the developed global core. the periphery provides for the core by exporting raw material, cheap labour, outsourcing manufacturing, new markets. 

• this allows superpowers to gain economic wealth by exploiting poorer nations as well as preventing future powers 

evaluation

• assumes world is static and countries are stuck in state of underdevelopment 

Wallerstein’s world systems theory

• core regions drive the world economy

• the core was the first industrial areas that were financed by wealthy farming sector

• western core now owns and consumes 75% of global goods and services. however this core is shifting to Asia as China and India are emerging

• peripheral areas are the other extreme as they are distant from the core and lacking capital, they rely on core regions to exploit their raw materials. this is likely the result from colonialism

• western areas assumed control over areas rich in resources within Africa and Asia and Latin America. core regions process and manufacture these resources and added value

• cores remain dominant because they own production lines and this maintains the development gap

BRICs

• the G7 was a group of the most influential countries: USA, Canada, UK, Japan, Germany, France and Italy

• Russia joined in 1990s to make it G8 but in 2014 was expelled due to illegal annexation of Crimea 

• while the G7 still has global influence its share of global GDP in 1980s to 28% today

• the G20 is a wider group of the 20 largest economies

• the G20 represents 85% of global GDP

• within the group Brazil, Russia, India and China formed the BRICs which are emerging economies. 

Brazil

• considered a regional power as it is the largest country and economy in South America. however globally it has little influence 

• represents half of South America’s GDP set to be 5th largest economy by 2050, abundant resources and self-sufficient in food and energy 

• military is insignificant with smallest budget in BRICs 

• reliant on primary sector and the exporting of raw materials

• lacks economic infrastructure 

• politically less stable and corrupt which decreases FDI

Russia

• not as powerful as USSR was

• despite Econo,ic, political, and demographic challenges it still has one of the most powerful militaries

• very skilled workforce with high education levels

• wealth of natural resources

• worlds largest country by landmass

• politically isolated with economic sanctions

• weak economy with lower GDP than Italy

• demographically shrinking due to poor health and low life expectancy due to recent war

• corruption with economic elite dominating the economy and politics 

India

• one of the two big emerging economies but still has a long way to being fully developed there is a large and growing middle class but much of the country is still in poverty

• has the largest population of £1.4 billion which means there are more workers to boost economy

• worlds largest democracy with over 600 million voters

• strong IT and services sector due to large English speaking population

• 20% still live in poverty

• Bollywood produces the most films but has little global reach which limits soft power

• largest emitter of co2 and has severe air pollution and other environmental problems

• weak rupee

China

• considered by many to be the next superpower

• 2nd largest economy with strong manufacturing base

• high population of 1.4 billion - lots of workers

• largest military, strong hard power

• strong centrally planned government

• strong FDI, highly skilled workers

• large deposits of coal, iron, oil and gas

• ageing population due to one child policy

• welfare quite weak despite communism

• social + political instability in future due to ageing population

• FDI is decreasing and Trump’s tariff war.

world economic forum

• meets annually in Davos Switzerland

• people who go are CEOs of TNCs, government leaders and celebrities

• promotes public-private cooperation in aims to improve the state of the world. helps resolve disputes and promotes global thinking. discusses issues of corruption

• TNCs receive benefits from government policies such as low taxation

• sometimes voter instincts conflict with WEF for example when UK voted to leave the EU

World Bank

• Bretton Woods 1944

• first loan went to France for post-war reconstruction 

• focuses on the effects of natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies and to help capitalism function

• the world bank financed projects that were either environmentally damaging or so costly that countries were unable to pay back loans resulting in debt

• USA holds 16.5% of votes, 40% of total votes go to 8 of the largest contributions 

IMF

• Bretone Woods 1944

• original aim was to stabilise global currencies after the 1950s depression and devastation of ww2

• originally was 44 countries, now is 189

• individual voting rights are proportional to the amounts that they have invested

• mostly reflects western countries interests because they were contributing the most and therefore had the most voting power

WTO

• Bretton Woods 1944

• Aims to achieve free global trade by negotiating free-trade agreements and ensuring members follow rules. free trade means there is no tariffs placed on exports or imports

• currently focused on poverty reduction by removing farm subsidies in developing countries to stimulate efficient production

• cheaper imports undercut local farmers who are forced out of business

• the value of trade has increased rapidly from 2.1 in 1800 to 4427.6 in 2014

world police

• refers to a group of countries in the UN Security Council who are the primary global mechanism for maintaining international peace and security 

• they can enforce global laws through sanctions or military action 

• the USA has intervened in many areas of the world but mostly in Central America for example the 1989-1990 invasion of Panama in Eastern Europe. for example the 1994-1995 Bosnian War and the Middle East. for example the 2003-2011 Iran War 

• the USA has intervened so much in order ti maintain their superpower status and have control over other countries 

Iran’s Nuclear programme

• western countries have long concerns about Iran being nuclear armed and destabilising an already unstable Middle East 

• USA first applied sanctions in 1995 

• UN sanctions began in 2006 and included an arms embargo and asset freeze 

• EU sanctions began in 2007 

• sanctions were placed on their oil exports in 2012 

• Iran was forced to end its nuclear weapons programme in 2015 as their economic situation deteriorated due to its denied oil exports 

Bosnian war 1992-1995

• resulted from post Cold War breakup of Yugoslavia

• toxic mix of ethnic, religious and nationalist divisions led to a war involving genocide, mass rape and numerous other war crimes

• UN resolution led t a NATO enforced no fly zone

• UN peacekeeper tried to establish safe zones unsuccessfully 

• UN-sanctioned naval blockade in Adriatic Sea 

• eventually NATO air strikes forced an end to conflict 

Haiti Earthquake 2010

• 7.0 magnitude destroyed 20% of buildings in the capital city of Port-Au-Prince and created a Humanitarian crisis 

• within 6 days the UN and US military: 

1. US air force restored air traffic control to allow relief flights

2. US coastguard began relief flights

3. aircraft carrier from US brought rescue assist, food and water 

4. 1600 US marines provided aid and technical help 

Ebola epidemic 2013

• outbreak in west Africa and had no cure, vaccine and is easily transmitted in insanitary conditions. Has a mortality rate of 50-70%.

• initial response was slow

• in Sierra Leone the UK committed £450 million, 1500 troops and 150 NHS personnel

• work of NGOs and WHO was crucial and so was aid from countries like USA in Liberia and France in Guinea

• by 2016 the epidemic was over and 113,000 people died

economic alliances

• interdependence between nations is further strengthened by economic alliances

• those who have free trade agreements also have military alliances e.g. NAFTA, EFTA, ASEAN

• economic alliances included free import/export taxes and tariffs.

global emissions patterns

1. China - over 30% of global emissions due to:

• industrialisation

• high growth

• dependance on fossil fuels

• low grade coal

2. US - over 13.5% of global co2 due to:

• manufacturing base

• transport due to people commonly taking flights 

• lack of investment in the rest of the world

• still extracting and burning fossil fuels

the rise of China’s middle class

• china has developed very quickly over a short period of time

• the size of the m/c has grown from just 3% in 2000 to over half in 2018

• GNI per capita has grown ten-fold

• however most are still part of the lower middle class (68%)

spending habits of the middle class

• Chinese m/c has begun to behave similarly to its counterparts across the world in terms of consumption of goods and services

• an increase to disposable income has led to an increase in the sale of passenger vehicles (24.7 million in 2017)

• internet perception rates have sky-rocketed from 1.8% to 54%. however these rates are still much higher in city areas

• rapid growth of e-commerce market which is now the largest in the world. 

• educational opportunities 

• increase to tourism 

• debt patterns have changed because people are now spending more and dipping into savings 

• rising house prices has put increased financial pressure on China’s m/c. 2/3 of debt was attributed to housing.

consequences of growing m/c

• environmental stresses due to higher energy use, urban sprawl, elevated levels of air pollution

• this has prompted action from China’s government to invest in renewable energy and a pledge to be carbon neutral by 2026

• dietary preferences have also shifted. a rise in animal protein consumption among the m/c has led to increased agricultural production and placed considerable strain on the environment.

• the new sedentary lifestyle has led to increased chronic and non-communicable diseases

• from 2000 to 2018 health care expenditure rose to $893.5 billion

• ageing population is affecting the dependancy ratio

• growing burden to alleviate the burden of rising health care costs

• wage increases to broaden the social safety net

pattern of development and demand 

• as countries develop their demand for resources grows to fuel their growing economies. people want a high quality of life and consumer products as they move into the m/c

iron ore in China

china gets iron ore from Australia. 25 tonnes are transported per train and cargo ships. chinas demand for resources took up 90% of sea tariffs. rio pinto owns 2.4km long trains. 

has led to degradation of land. used for steel production. to construct cities and bridge projects due to high economic development.

china makes 33% of the world’s steel. china is now largest producer and consumer of steel.

food

• cereal consumption increased by 364%

• meat increased by 99% 

• fruit and nuts by 98% 

• coffee and tea by 71%

fossil fuels

• in 2007 china national petroleum corporation became the main shareholder of petrokazakhstan, a purchase which included a 1000km oil pipeline into China. China uses 39% of world consumption 

minerals

• invested in subsaharan Africa to supply iron ore or copper 

water

• china has average renewable freshwater resources of 2000 tonnes per capita however water resources are not evenly distributed

• 70% of China’s water resources goes to farming

• 20% to coal industry

• Beijing total consumption exceeded supply by 70% in 2012

climate change conferences

• 1987 Montreal protocol - aimed to stop use of CFOs and Halons which were both damaging to ozone

• 1999 Kyoto Protocol - aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• 2015 The Paris Agreement - highest number of states participating however key emitters like USA have withdrawn

level of commitment to reduce co2

USA

• under Obama renewable energy and lowered emissions were advocated but Trump disputes evidence for climate change. pulled out China

China

• Agreed to work towards an emissions peak in 2030 but only started committing in 2016

Russia

• agreed to reduce co2 emissions by 30% below 1990 but in 2015 they were 35% below 1990

EU

• forefront of climate initiatives and grants to encourage renewable energy

• cut energy consumption by 12% by 2010 and 20% in 2020