Superpower status is a nations ability to project dominating
influence anywhere in the world, the world has moved through stages of uni-polar,
bi-polar and seems to be progressing towards a multi-polar world in which there
are many superpowers. Superpower is perhaps ambiguous as there are many aspects
to a superpower such as economic wealth, military and cultural dominance as
well as population and natural resources. Many countries are superpower’s in
their own rights each with different attributes, however in the modern world it
could be argued Superpower status is more about topicality and culture than
hard power such as military force, perhaps if all the world’s a stage then
being a superpower is about stage presence.
Britain could be considered the worlds first superpower,
industrialising first and through pseudo-scientific scripture the British
believed they were superior to the aborigines and indigenous people of America,
Indo-Australia and Africa. Establishing a large military was perhaps one of the
main components of Britain’s colonial power, as it allowed them to physically
conquer and plunder other nations within these continents. A large military
force prior to the Post Modern era was perhaps the most important factor as it
could be a threatening and violent force that also maintained colonial power
for example the British Raj. It was perhaps most important due to the absence
of the media and TNC’s that now transmit cultural power and similarly the
global economy was infantile in comparison suggesting perhaps economic power
was not of great importance. However, that said, military power is still a
crucial component of superpower status especially in times of global tension
for instance the Cold War and the current political tensions between two rivals
of a by-gone era. Nuclear military power is perhaps a modern day element,
possessed by the world’s G8 giving them considerable threatening and bargaining
power, similarly rising China has established a large military rank. Military
power was perhaps the most important feature in the past and perhaps is having
new found importance in terms of a threat.
It could be argued economic power in a predominantly
capitalist world is an important factor, all the world’s perceived superpowers
also hold substantial wealth, wealth is often considered to equate power. The
USA could be an example of this, it rose to superpower status after WWII as Europe
experienced bankruptcy after the war, the USA however during the war had
supplied much equipment for a profit and was now the world’s leading
manufacturer similar to that of China and India at present. The USA has over
25% of the world’s GDP and a high percentage of votes in IGO’s and financial
institutions such as the World Bank and IMF. This also creates superpower
status as control and dominance can be acquired through these organisations as
they dictate regulations and loans, dependency theorists may argue the USA can
project its imperialism through the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Policies which
influence governments in the developing world, acquired by a large voting
percentage due to economic wealth. Economic power is perhaps a more subtle and
less intrusive form of superpower control yet it is highly influential, wealth
is a powerful tool in the modern world.
Cultural power is perhaps the most important factor as it
affects civilians and governments alike, whereas economic power is perhaps
exclusive to the elite. Cultural power is maintained and transmitted via the
media, an entity that exists in almost every nation, even in sub-saharan
villages there will be American advertising. It could be argued the USA holds
most cultural power with the internationalisation of capitalism, a
predominantly American ideology, and Mcdonaldisation, American culture has
infiltrated many other cultures. The world could be argued to have becomes as
far as culturally homogenous due to the USA’s intrusive and relentless cultural
domination, however the rise of China and Russia could reverse the spread of
capitalism as they become increasingly dominant with a revival of Russia’s high
culture. The BRIC’s may be perhaps increasing their superpower status through
this cultural phenomenon as there has been much media frenzy over the rise of
such nations placing them in the public eye.
Whilst these three factors are the most important to
superpower status, it could be argued there are other factors which may become
increasingly important in the future. For example, it is argued we have already
had “peak oil” suggesting a naturally resource rich nation such as Brazil or
energy giant such as Russia will have more superpower status in the future as
they hold an important commodity. Similarly population is a factor, it could be
argued the BRIC’s rise is partly due to its large population combined, it
boasts half the worlds population and thus controls half the worlds population.
There are issues however for China, Japan and the EU with its population
demographic, superpower status particularly in economic terms is reliant on a
large, healthy active working population, however these nations face an ageing
population which if not tackled could see a decline in their production and
thus superpower status. Population, resources and demography may be more
important than military, economic or cultural power in the future as we enter
into a stage of a multi-polar world.
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