Superpowers

What is a superpower?

A nation with the means to project power and influence anywhere in the world and to be a dominant global force

Some examples of superpowers in the past are…

• the British empire

• the USSR (its fall lead to a unipolar world, lead by the USA)

• USA (current)

What is a unipolar world?

When there is only one superpower exerting hegemonic influence over the world

What is a bipolar world?

When there is two superpowers exerting hegemonic influence over the world (eg USA+ USSR in 1960s)

What is a multipolar world?

When multiple superpowers exert EQUAL hegemonic influence over the world

What are some indicators of being a superpower?

• large military power (eg USA spends more than the next 10 countries combined on military and has the most air craft carriers in the world- initiation)

• large amount of resources / land (control of other countries without)

• large population

• culture (and its influence in the world, eg USA in media)

• strong economy. (Can use money to project power)

What is a hyper power?

A superpower that has become more powerful to the point it cannot be knocked out of its place. Some say the USA is a hyper power.

What is an emerging power?

A country with the potential to become a superpower. (Eg China)

What is a regional power?

A country with with hegemonic influence at a local / regional scale

What is a hegemon?

A country with the ability to dominate others

What are the types of power can a superpower can use to keep control?

Hard and soft power

Eg
Hard= military, economic sanctions
Soft= culture and ideology

What is the geo-strategic location theory?

A theory by developed in 1904 (a British geographer) which states that whoever is in control of Eurasia/ the heartland (largest landmass) could control the world.

This could be done by controlling Russia, and due to its location could control Eurasia.
Therefore the further away a country is from Russian the less control Russia has over it.

What evidence supports the geo- strategic theory?

• Russia was a superpower 1945-1991

• Russia's ability to attack Ukrainian in 2022

• Russia's intervention in Syria

• This theory had influence on many foreign policies (many in the Cold War) and so remains highly relevant today.

What evidence is against the geo- strategic theory?

• Russia is no longer a superpower

• USA, china and India all have more power than Russia

• geopolitical landscape has changed since 1904

• land area is not necessarily a good indicator for power

• low population in the ‘heartland area’

CASE STUDY

BELT + ROAD INITIATIVE (over 7 years)

• write up separately

• china invest in other countries (60+) infrastructure to make it easier for china to sell trade Eg big port in Pakistan, channel in Nicaragua (planning underway) , roads across Africa (Kenya and Uganda Eg possibly spratley islands- protecting shipping route

• some think this is their way to ‘take control of the world’

What is a proxy war?

An indirect conflict between countries

CASE STUDY 2

THE BRITISH EMPIRE (a3 sheet)

CASE STUDY 3

THE COLDWAR (a3 sheet)

What is colonialism?

Direct control of another country
Done by creating a social divide between the colonised and the colonisers.
Eg the British empire in India ( caste system)
Eg apartheid in South Africa

What is neo colonialism?

The INdirect control of another country.
Done by economic control and influence
Eg USA putting sanctions and tariffs on other countries
Eg IMF and World Bank ‘structural adjustment policies’

CASE STUDY

USA AS A SUPERPOWER (rose after ww1 as Europe ran out of money), ww2 made it great, current)

CASE STUDY

DAVOS IN SWITZERLAND ?

What is a free market?

It’s when the government is not involved greatly in the economy - ‘small government’
And so businesses run independently and efficiently due to the incentive of profit. Eg UK

What is a planned economy?

Where the government is highly involved in the economy whereby they ensure all profits reach a certain value and then is shared equally between everyone.
So overall only the government profits. Eg Vietnam

Examples of planned economies that converted to free market capitalism are…

China and Russia

What are soft methods that superpowers use to exert power through TNCs?

• cultural globalisation

• promoting ideology

• promoting a country as being a role model

What are hard methods that superpowers use to exert power through TNCs?

- using them to produce military technology and resources such as weapons and GPS

What are the two types of TNC?

• publicly traded- they are owned by numerous stakeholders

• state owned- are owned by the government, Eg Saudi Aramco

Which type of TNC is more common in emerging superpowers?

State owned TNCs

Why are TNCs so good for exerting a countries power?

• as developing countries want their investment, they have the power to influence government policies

• their large scale (can outcompete smaller companies) (and they are well know)

• their large bank balances

• they have benefitted from free market capitalism

What are the 3 main theories surrounding the changing patterns of power?

• modernisation theory

• dependency theory

• world systems theory

What is the modernisation theory?

A theory developed by Rostow, that states that the only way to develop is via capitalism like the UK and USA. This theory is used and supported by said capitalist rich countries however it doesn’t work for all countries as a development gap still exists.

What is the dependency theory?

A theory developed by Frank, that states that the worlds economic system is reinforcing inequality between countries as it allows richer countries to take advantage of poorer countries due to DEPENDENCY.
Disproves modernisation theory

What is the world system theory?

A theory developed by Wallerstein, It can also been knows as the core periphery model. Core= Rich countries. Per= poor countries

• the per provides core with materials

• and the core provides per with money (with strings attached) or goods (Shows development gap)

It can explain why not all countries can follow the modernisation theory.

What is the UN Security Council?

It is an inter governmental organisation which is the primary mechanism for maintaining international peace.

What methods does the UN Security Council use to keep peace?

• applying military or diplomatic sanctions

• requiring authorisation of military force against another country

• authorising a UN peace keeping force

what is the international court of justice?

Is the judicial branch of the United Nations that settles disputes between members.

What is a peace keeping mission?

Sending in troops/ soldiers on behalf of the united nations to stop fighting in other countries. Eg- Congo civil war

CASE STUDY

USA military interference

What is geopolitics?

International relations influenced by geographical factors

What is an international player?

Any key organisation or countries that influence geopolitics

What are some military, economic, environmental and political examples of international players?

Military- NATO
Economic- EU
Environmental- IPCC (international panel on climate change)
Political- the UN

What impacts do superpowers have on the environment?

• large emissions (USA and China have largest emissions)

• this is due to employment distributions eg many factories ( secondary employment) in china = high emissions

• or due to level of development- whether or not renewable energy can be afforded. Eg India which disagreed with initiatives at cop26

• also due to population / level of consumption eg USA and China

• finally, developing or corrupt countries have less laws and regulations to allow for more economic benefit

• oil spills

• land degradation for urbanisation, agriculture and timber

• air pollution

What is the trend of the environmental Kuznets curve?

Developments initially worsens emissions, but as GDP increases and therefore there is excess money to develop, renewable energy can be implemented and emissions/ land degradation goes down.

What is the middle class sweet spot/ growth sweet spot?

When there are a high number of middle class people with money to buy products, this consumptions drives economic growth

Chinas economy phases (CASE STUDY?)

1- manufacturing for export 2- constriction eg railways and bridges ect 3- consumption- growth sweet spot (make middle class richer)

What are the impacts having a large middle class?

• more emissions

• less malnutrition

• deforestation to keep up with housing and goods demands (eg meat consumption)

CASE STUDY

Counterfeit goods in china

What is a sphere of influence?

The area of which a country has influence over. Either by hard or soft power

CASE STUDY

BRITISH EMPIRE (links to course again later on) all 4 case studies \/ are sphere of influence examples + apply to other parts of the course

CASE STUDY

Of neo-colonialism (later in course- Africa and china)

CASE STUDY

ARCTIC OCEAN (north west and north east passage)

CASE STUDY

South China Sea

CASE STUDY

China and India

CASE STUD(IES)

Middle East case studies (multiple)

7\.9 c notes