Superpowers

Defining Superpowers

A superpower is a country that can prject its power and ideas globally, and influence other countries using its economic, political, military and cultural strengths

Geopolitical power

• Refers to the influence of geographical factors (economy, population size, military strength) on the actions of countries towards others: their foreign policy, agreements and alliances, and conflicts

Geopolitical heirachy

Hyper-power

• Complete global dominance, no rivals

• USA

Superpower

• Globally dominant, but more than one can exist at one time

• EU

Emerging power

• Globally influential, but only in certain areas of influence

• Russia, China, Brazil, India

Regional power

• Leads on a continental, but not global scale

• Japan, Mexico, Nigeria

Sources of power

Economic

• A large total GDP gives countries the wealth needed to be a global player

Political

• Leading, rather than following, within global organisations such as the UN, IMF and WTO

Military

• Nuclear weapons, a large air force and navy are required to threaten or force a country’s will on others

Natural resources

• Fossil fuels, land for farming, mineral wealth and water resources increase self-sufficiency

Cultural

• Having ideas, art, music, food and fashion that others find appealing is a source of power

USA as a global Superpower

Economic

• Worlds largest GDP of $25 trillion 2022

• Vast domestic market

• TNCs (29% worlds 2000 largest TNCs)

Political

• UN headquarters in NY

• NATO

Military

• Largest navy

• Leading nuclear power (1750 active nuclear witharheads)

• Largest operator of military bases globally (bases on every continent)

Natural resources

• Abundant supplies of fossil fuels (gas and coal)

• Arable land

• 2nd leading country in natural resources value (after Russia)

Cultural

• Hollywood

• English speaking

Hard Power

Soft Power

Hard Power

• Using military and economic influence (trade deals, sanctions) to force a country to act in a particular way

• Can get results, but it is expensive and risky

• Others may view military action as unnecessary or illegal, so the aggressor may lose allies and moral authority (e.g. Russia's 2014 invasion of the Crimea)

Soft Power

• More subtle persuasion of countries to act in a particular way, on the basis that the persuader is respected and appealing

• Includes political persuasion (diplomacy) and cultural influence

• Relies on a country having respected culture, values and politics, which may be enough to persuade some countries but not others

• If applied well, is low cost and, because it is about creating alliances and friendly relations, may spread to other countries

Smart Power

• Joseph Nye argues that in the 21st century the most successful countries are those that combine hard and soft power, forming smart power

Hard and soft power

USA vs UK

USA hard power

• 1991 organised and led the coalition to expel Iraqi forces that had invaded Kuwait in the First Gulf War

• 2003 invaded Iraq in the Second Gulf War when economic sanctions (softer power) failed to persuade President Saddam Hussein to change policy

UK soft power

• 5th largest economy, attractive market and source of TNC FDI

• One of the largest networks of diplomats and embassies in the world 

• BBC World Service is more neutral and reliable than many government broadcasters

• Films (Pride and Prejudice), television (Downton Abbey) and literature (Harry Potter)

• City of London (and New York) dominate international finance, banking and law, setting standards and values

Mackiner’s ‘Heartland’ theory

• Persuaded the USA, UK and other European countries that Russia needed to be ‘contained’ i.e. prevented from spreading outward by taking over new areas close by

• Reinforced the idea that control over physical resources was important

Patterns of power