NationStates Jolt Archive

Poll

i voted France for fun :)

USA hands down:) I mean, come on, we got Chuck Norris

Obviousy the United States. Strictly pound for pound, the U.S. military is the most powerful force in history right now. More powerful than the 1st century Roman legions. More powerful than the Wermacht in '42. It'll take a while before other nations overtake the U.S. militarily.

Faroe Islands.

Nepal... we all gotta watch out for those damn Nepalis

Faroe Islands? the Isle of Man would kick your ass

Israel ----> Equipment is just as good if not better than America's and have soooooooo much more (real life) training.


(btw: Lebanon :eek: :sniper: Israel)

I think there is a strong case for the Vatican. It has a lot of say over a lot of people.

I think there is a strong case for the Vatican. It has a lot of say over a lot of people.


Yeah, but not military.... I'm not sure how many catholics would obey a papal dictum to take out a country.

I don't know why you even bothered with a poll. It's fairly obvious. Currently, the most powerful country on the earth is Switzerland.

Bizzare, you say? I offer proof.

According to the CIA World Factbook, these are their major imports.

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

It look innocent enough at first glance. But wait!

Machinery? What type?

Chemicals? These can be used for anything!

Vehicles? Obviously being extensively modified into fighting vehicles for urban warfare. No other possible explanation.

Metals? One of the major materials used in construction of millitary equipment!

Agricultural products? Since they also export these, clearly they're saving up in case someone carries out Total War.

Textiles? To make uniforms for their huge number of military troops.

And the watches! It is a little known fact, but all Swiss watches contain tiny devices capable of mind control!

The Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; 19 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscripts receive 15 weeks of compulsory training, followed by 10 intermittent recalls for training over the next 22 years; women are accepted on a voluntary basis but are not drafted (2005)

And why does such a 'nuetral' country need so much military might for?

Those Swiss army knives? You know that they're a specific export version? Well, the ones that the Swiss Army carries have far more deadly attachments than a nail file or bottle opener, let me tell you!

You know... the swiss have never been conquered.....

Those Swiss army knives? You know that they're a specific export version? Well, the ones that the Swiss Army carries have far more deadly attachments than a nail file or bottle opener, let me tell you!

Like ICBMs...

Yeah, but not military.... I'm not sure how many catholics would obey a papal dictum to take out a country.
I decided to answer in a non-military way because the answer is obvious when you look at it like that.

It's just some teenage kid trying to wind people up and get them arguing over a pointless issue.

Define, 'power'. Military? Economic? Cultural? Does power in one situation necessarily mean power in another?

Or perhaps more subtle forms of influence are at work.

Suppose you have a legislative assembly with two blocks controlling 45% of the votes each, and one block controlling the remaining 10%. What is relevant there, power, or influence?

Suppose the split varies with the debate topic. Who has power, who has influence, when?

The world is a more subtle place than many believe. Sit down and think about it.

what a stupid poll...
its clearly the holy see:

1)the pope has an earthquake machine

2)they control the birds http://www.wf-f.org/WFFResource/JPII-Dove.jpg

3)they have an army of almost 1bn

4)they have the swiss guard, and we know how good the swiss are

5)every priest owns and knows how to use at least 7 guns

6)every church can immediately be converted into a fortified stronghold/nulear bomb

You know... the swiss have never been conquered.....

what about the wars with ancient Germanic tribes

Faroe Islands? the Isle of Man would kick your ass

Maybe so (tho, it's not "my" ass...I'm not so lucky to be part of the Faroe-Islands superpower). However, Pitcaern Islanders would have no problem wiping the Isle of Man off the map.

Define, 'power'. Military? Economic? Cultural? Does power in one situation necessarily mean power in another?

read the title next time

what about the wars with ancient Germanic tribes


I'm pretty sure that it wasn't much more than a place that you had to cross back in those days.... eg Hannibal crossing the alps to get to rome.... Caesar crossing the alps was also one of the dictums he broke with crossing the rubicon, it was just a mountain range basically, not a formed nation.

read the title next time
The Most Powerful Nation on Earth ... how?

You are not really thinking about it, are you? :rolleyes:

Israel, having absolute control over Usa and Uk and strong lobbies in nearly all strong world organisations, goverments makes them strongest. They do as they please and get away with it because they are well organised and powerful. They are ruled by a judeo-sheria regime police state which uses assassination and bribing to the fullest. Population is constantly under arms and trained to fight, they have teh haxxorz Merkava tankz and one of the coolest hand guns ever: Desert Eagle. They dont care about nature etc. just suck Dead Sea dry, they certainly have no problem other people dying of hunger as they control nearly whole diamond resources of south africa and the entire world diamond+precious stones trade. Other than that they have good deals on petrol and get a percentage of every deal U.k. and U.s.a. does.
Israel works hard. They have military capability but their main strenght is using others military capability for their own ends.

Israel, having absolute control over Usa and Uk and strong lobbies in nearly all strong world organisations, goverments makes them strongest.
I'm sorry but there is no consensus or proof of this. In fact, working for the UN, I can tell you Israel is something of an outcast in this organization and has been labeled by many as a terrorist state (I do not agree, but just to show you that Israel does not control this organization).

OMG. The US definatly has the most powerful military.,.....its cuz gunz are legal in the US rihgt? US marines alone could take out europe..........marines are solidors recruited from swimming pools........I think? US rangers......there like power rangers right? only they all wear green? They got Navy seals........ and dolphins too........
Delta force, they are cool........they got created after Bush played half life...... I've heard they respawn and all. Just play americas army you'll know what I'm talking about

The Most Powerful Nation on Earth ... how?

You are not really thinking about it, are you? :rolleyes:
The poll says "military wise".

Me. By myself. I could take all y'all. So yeah. Fear me. And my appalling punctuation.

Me. By myself. I could take all y'all. So yeah. Fear me. And my appalling punctuation.

You obviously haven't met my swiss army knife...

The poll says "military wise".
Very poor thread formatting, I must say.

Very poor thread formatting, I must say.
I agree, but that's what it says...

Gotta be Spain. Nobody expects the Spanish inqisition!

North Korea

Oh come on now. The US is the most powerful army in the world: they have Samual L. Jackson (and Mr T). I like to call him Samual L Blackson, he is the most badass black guy there is. He is the very definition of black. Apologies if I sound slightly racist or UNPC, not intended IAWSOF.

Oh please. Liechenstein could kick everyone's asses from here till July 12 2026.

I think there is a strong case for the Vatican. It has a lot of say over a lot of people.

How many divisions does the pope have?

Nepal... we all gotta watch out for those damn Nepalis
Oddly enough the Nepalese military is one of the primary providers of private security contractors in global hotspots. Amusing, huh?

North Korea

Well, I'll tell you, their missile tests were amazing. Nobody can shoot a nerf gun farther than those Koreans. Ten feet, if you would believe it.

Oddly enough the Nepalese military is one of the primary providers of private security contractors in global hotspots. Amusing, huh?

Too bad they won't help out Tibet and get the Chinese the hell out of there. :(

Too bad they won't help out Tibet and get the Chinese the hell out of there. :(
They certainly aren't suicidal.

They certainly aren't suicidal.

Point. :D

Oh please. Liechenstein could kick everyone's asses from here till July 12 2026.

Monaco is the only nation daring and powerful enough to stop them!

You know... the swiss have never been conquered.....

the French Revolution conquered Switzerland and imposed a new unified constitution. This centralised the government of the country and effectively abolished the cantons. The new regime was known as the Helvetic Republic and was highly unpopular. It had been imposed by a foreign invading army, had destroyed centuries of tradition, including the right to worship, and had made Switzerland nothing more than a French satellite state. Uprisings were common and only the presence of French troops kept them from succeeding. The brutal French suppression of the Nidwalden revolt in September was especially infamous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland

You know... the swiss have never been conquered.....

You know...neither has America...

Madagascar. :p
Antarctica
Greenland
Iceland
Everyone knows it's the US, geez.

Well, I'll tell you, their missile tests were amazing. Nobody can shoot a nerf gun farther than those Koreans. Ten feet, if you would believe it.

I hear they're using new technology that could revolutionize the way kids play cops and robbers

Monaco is the only nation daring and powerful enough to stop them!

Perhaps the island nation of Vanutu could flex its military muscle and join them!

Perhaps the island nation of Vanutu could flex its military muscle and join them!

That would anger the mighty superpower of Jan Mayen enough to take action, and surely they would tip the scales.

US, hands down. And tommorow at 10AM at Ft sill there will be 200+ more Soldiers to add teeth to American Foreign Policy.

Define, 'power'. Military? Economic? Cultural? Does power in one situation necessarily mean power in another?

Or perhaps more subtle forms of influence are at work.

Suppose you have a legislative assembly with two blocks controlling 45% of the votes each, and one block controlling the remaining 10%. What is relevant there, power, or influence?

Suppose the split varies with the debate topic. Who has power, who has influence, when?

The world is a more subtle place than many believe. Sit down and think about it.
Military favorite mod, i said that in the poll :D

Military favorite mod, i said that in the poll :D
currently or historically?

Militarily right now its The good ol us of a hands down. We have more power in our puppet nations then most countries have themselves. add to that we have more nukes then every other nation in the world combined (at its top, the cccp had less then half of what we had, and they were number 2) The only way America could loss and all out conventional war at the moment would be the entire world V. America, and it would be a hard fight. And remember, Israel, their military is bankrolled by America

United States. Cultural domination, one of the strongest and most mobile militaries, one of the strongest economies, and a huge influence on world politics.

i voted France for fun :)
Voted China, as they own most of the USA's debt, and they have half the worlds population, so they outnumber everyone

Voted China, as they own most of the USA's debt, and they have half the worlds population, so they outnumber everyone

only a 1/6th and india is damn close. hahaha. india gots no baby laws, but do have a shortage of females

only a 1/6th and india is damn close. hahaha. india gots no baby laws, but do have a shortage of females
mmmmmmmm women lol... loses train of thought .... drool pmsl....

Yeah the US has the most powerful military. But its only as a combined service. If the US Army wasnt supported by the US airforce. They would easily be butchered by many nations. Since world war two the US military's strategies have always involved this combined arms effect. It is a very good effective way to fight. But if their forces are divided then they can be easily routed, for they tend to realy on eachother. So far the US has done a good job of not letting a division occur. The US does have a tendancy to overestimate themselves too. But the US hasnt lost a conventional battle since Korea either.

Yeah the US has the most powerful military. But its only as a combined service. If the US Army wasnt supported by the US airforce. They would easily be butchered by many nations. Since world war two the US military's strategies have always involved this combined arms effect. It is a very good effective way to fight. But if their forces are divided then they can be easily routed, for they tend to realy on eachother. So far the US has done a good job of not letting a division occur. The US does have a tendancy to overestimate themselves too. But the US hasnt lost a conventional battle since Korea either.
Don't forget our navy, too. They provide most of the air support IIRC and can be quickly deployed anywhere in the world. We underestimate the strengths of guerilla warfare, obviously.

I think there is a strong case for the Vatican. It has a lot of say over a lot of people.

Army of the Holy See (Vatican City)

Nation: The Holy See (Vatican City)
Population: 921
GDP: $245.2 million
GDP Per Capita: Nominally $266,232, but in reality not as such.
Active Military Personnel: 107 Swiss Guards Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera)
Reserves: 0, though in theory every Army in Christendom.
Militia: 0, though in theory every male of Confirmation age (12+) in Christendom.
Portion of Population: 11.6%
Military Spending: Approximately $2 million
Portion of GDP: 0.81%
Spending Per Active Soldier: $150,000
Military Nature: Defensive, have not fought a pitched battle in nearly 500 years.
Infrastructure: High within Vatican City.
Logistics Support: Excellent within Vatican City.
Experience: Absurdly high in 16th century tactics.
Training: Absurdly high in 16th century tactics.
Equipment: The finest halberds and broadswords on Earth.

Recent notable achievement:
In the 1990s, a peace treaty was signed ending the 3rd Punic War, which had been technically ongoing with Carthage since 149 BC.

You'll all find out who the most powerful nation in the world is when Micronesia finally decides it's had enough of this game it's playing. When you're enslaved and forced to work in the salt mines for your brutal Micronesian overseers you'll wonder how you didn't see it coming.

The US has Superman ...we win .

Voted China, as they own most of the USA's debt, and they have half the worlds population, so they outnumber everyone

You're on smack.

U.S. Treasury statistics indicate that, at the end of 2004, foreigners held 44% of federal debt held by the public. About 64% of that 44% was held by the central banks of other countries. A large portion was held by the central banks of Japan and China, although, most was held by members of the EU.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._public_debt

i voted France for fun :)

http://www.technochitlins.com/mt-archives/frenchvictories.png :p

How many divisions does the pope have?

Please, I'd just go blow the Popes brains all over the place, and they'd have to hold another secret meeting where the smoke comes outta the top of that building, strap a few C4 explosives to the side. The end.

Edit: My bad, I ment to respond to the other guy's post about the Vatican.

Obviousy the United States. Strictly pound for pound, the U.S. military is the most powerful force in history right now. More powerful than the 1st century Roman legions. More powerful than the Wermacht in '42. It'll take a while before other nations overtake the U.S. militarily.

If all the nations that hate the US ganged up on us all at once, we'd go down easy. And theres alot of countries that hate us. More than we like to think about. I'm actually scared of the day that one plans a military attack on us, because although they alone would lose, they wouldn't be alone, other countries would align and kick us while we're down. We'd be like Russia is today, eating out of trashcans and stuff.

If all the nations that hate the US ganged up on us all at once, we'd go down easy. And theres alot of countries that hate us. More than we like to think about. I'm actually scared of the day that one plans a military attack on us, because although they alone would lose, they wouldn't be alone, other countries would align and kick us while we're down. We'd be like Russia is today, eating out of trashcans and stuff.

I'm so happy I don't live in the same world you think you live in.

Please, I'd just go blow the Popes brains all over the place, and they'd have to hold another secret meeting where the smoke comes outta the top of that building, strap a few C4 explosives to the side. The end.

Edit: My bad, I ment to respond to the other guy's post about the Vatican.

Good luck with that. The last guy who tried ended up in jail for 30 years.

Is this even a contest? USA! USA!

Is this even a contest?
Nope.

Combination of size and quality does it.

Yeah, but not military.... I'm not sure how many catholics would obey a papal dictum to take out a country.

I don't know, If he could prove that attrocities against Christianity where reaching even higher than ever, I think the pope could spur people into action. After all, If Pope benedict began to start rallying people to start using political action against China for their oppresion of Christians, which is now higher than any time in the Roman Empire, he could, feasibly get some rabble rousers who would be willing to help out the farmers in western china with their rebellion. Plus, the Swiss Guard are Freakin' awesome.

I believe it the secret lair of the X-Men in the great nation of Sealand.

In technology wise, there are many nations comparible to US but US has more man and money

I'm so happy I don't live in the same world you think you live in.

...Are you serious? A ton of other countires hate the USA. They hate us. As in, if we died, they wouldn't care at all... maybe about the innocent cavilians, but they hate our country for what it is, for what we have, for how we operate, and what we stand for. There's many that would be glad to see the end of the United States. You're crazy if you don't think that we would lose against 20 nuclear capable countries.

Good luck with that. The last guy who tried ended up in jail for 30 years.

How hard would it be to snipe the guy. I mean, wtf are they gonna do? Kill me? Fine, I'll mow their stupid asses down with a machine gun.

...Are you serious? A ton of other countires hate the USA. They hate us. As in, if we died, they wouldn't care at all... maybe about the innocent cavilians, but they hate our country for what it is, for what we have, for how we operate, and what we stand for. There's many that would be glad to see the end of the United States. You're crazy if you don't think that we would lose against 20 nuclear capable countries.

Um, which countries? Iran, North Korea, Cuba? Low threat.

There are actually very, very few countries on Earth that hate the US. Hate the government, maybe. But love our culture, people, money, goods, etc.
BTW, did you know that in terms of military spending, the #2 and #3 countries (Russia & China) together combined is equal to 25% of the US?

Even if Russia, China, and the EU somehow decided to get together and invade the US, I'd give them only 1 in 5 odds of actually winning. (Lots of obsolete hardware, low amount of airlift capability, poor logistics, low amount of modern satellite/spy intel, etc.)

Actually, they'd be crazy to attack the US with nukes. The US can blow up the Earth something like 150 times over. Nukes are never an option for actual warfare, since everyone loses. MAD (mututally assured destruction) works.

Just vote England and walk away.

IT would have to be the U.S. because they have many alies

I say Japan, they got Ninjas!' :mp5: and if thats not enough they have giant robots and all that cool stuff!' too :D

Gotta be China. If we rule out mutually assured destruction, then the USA will have their hands full with a full scale war with China. They have a standing army of over 1 million soldiers and a reserve force almost six times that size. Problem is, their logistics networks are a nightmare. :headbang:

Then again, why would China ever have to go to war with the US? In the next five years, their economy will eclipse that of the US anyway. :)

i voted France for fun :)

Ha, so did I. But then considering the supposed 'powerful' nations peoples can't seem to shut up about them, maybe there's something there...

Ah a wasted vote.:(

It's clearly Antarctica...

http://www.whattofix.com/images/RocketPenguin.jpg

...you just don't fuck with that, especially when they have millions of 'em! :eek:

It's clearly Antarctica...

http://www.whattofix.com/images/RocketPenguin.jpg

...you just don't fuck with that, especially when they have millions of 'em! :eek:
*Slaps head*:(

Gotta be China. If we rule out mutually assured destruction, then the USA will have their hands full with a full scale war with China. They have a standing army of over 1 million soldiers and a reserve force almost six times that size. Problem is, their logistics networks are a nightmare. :headbang:

Hey, guess what? If you have a logistical nightmare, than your army may as well not exist! Yay!

And size means nothing. Tactics and logistics do. Size just helps.

Then again, why would China ever have to go to war with the US? In the next five years, their economy will eclipse that of the US anyway. :)

Not in the next five, but if they keep at the pace they do, yes.

Then it's population will bottleneck, and then they're screwed again. But eventually, the communist government, even though it is being a bit more free, will have to fall, because it simply won't have the support it needs. So China will probably go democratic. And if they go democratic, I don't care if they eclipse the US, as long as they aren't "lolz, pwnt" about it.

You know... the swiss have never been conquered.....

You know...neither has America...

What about when the English settled, does that count?

Come on, is this poll really necessary? Everyone knows this has/will turn into a huge flamefest.

USANUMBER 1!!!111 FTW! USA OWNS YOU LOLOL :sniper:

Americans are drowning in their own egotism.
I feel the rest of the world will have a laugh when they lose their 'Grand Superpower' status.

What about when the English settled, does that count?

It depends if you're refering to the continent or the nation of the United States of America.

Chuck Norris. :mp5:

Tough call. I’d say whatever nation owns the most US resources or has loaned them the most money on the world market. It’s a toss up between Saudi Arabia and China.

Tough call. I’d say whatever nation owns the most US resources or has loaned them the most money on the world market. It’s a toss up between Saudi Arabia and China.

READ THE THREAD, LUKE! :headbang:

(this is false, as shown in post #60: )

You're on smack.

U.S. Treasury statistics indicate that, at the end of 2004, foreigners held 44% of federal debt held by the public. About 64% of that 44% was held by the central banks of other countries. A large portion was held by the central banks of Japan and China, although, most was held by members of the EU.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._public_debt

Nauru and there fearsome depleated phosphate reserves are gunna get you!

Hey, guess what? If you have a logistical nightmare, than your army may as well not exist! Yay!

And size means nothing. Tactics and logistics do. Size just helps.

Not in the next five, but if they keep at the pace they do, yes.

Then it's population will bottleneck, and then they're screwed again. But eventually, the communist government, even though it is being a bit more free, will have to fall, because it simply won't have the support it needs. So China will probably go democratic. And if they go democratic, I don't care if they eclipse the US, as long as they aren't "lolz, pwnt" about it.

I disagree. Size is a determining factor if it is overwhelming. All I'm saying is that the Chinese won't be able to launch a succesfull invasion of the US, but the US won't be able to trample all over the Chinese either.

And I sincerely hope the Chinese never adopts democracy, when they do become a true superpower in the world. We need a counterbalance in the world to the self-righteous predation on smaller nations by the US. The fall of the USSR was truly a pity. :D

The United States of America is the world's third largest country by landmass and population, but it is the world's one and only super-power by any means. Its GDP is so much larger than any other nation it isn't even funny. It has one of the largest militaries. It has by far the most technologically advanced military. It controls nearly unlimited natural resources. It leads the world in technological innovation. It has 17 of the worlds top 20 universities. All in all, the United States of America dominates the rest of the world in any measure of power.

Nauru and there fearsome depleated phosphate reserves are gunna get you!
You hear about those?http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/ninja.gif

Define, 'power'. Military? Economic? Cultural? Does power in one situation necessarily mean power in another?

Or perhaps more subtle forms of influence are at work.

Suppose you have a legislative assembly with two blocks controlling 45% of the votes each, and one block controlling the remaining 10%. What is relevant there, power, or influence?

Suppose the split varies with the debate topic. Who has power, who has influence, when?

The world is a more subtle place than many believe. Sit down and think about it.

The one who calls the final shots. Very easy in this instance. Yoosa. Noone else is even in the running.

what ninjas?

These Ninjas!
http://socky007.homestead.com/files/socky.gif

...Are you serious? A ton of other countires hate the USA. They hate us. As in, if we died, they wouldn't care at all... maybe about the innocent cavilians, but they hate our country for what it is, for what we have, for how we operate, and what we stand for. There's many that would be glad to see the end of the United States. You're crazy if you don't think that we would lose against 20 nuclear capable countries.

Don't think there's twenty...

France, Russia, China, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and, of course, USA

and to add the "maybe"--Iran, so a total of 10.

These Ninjas!
http://socky007.homestead.com/files/socky.gif

*flees*

Nonexistentland, you forgot Isreal.

Pitcaern Islanders would have no problem wiping the Isle of Man off the map.

What all 50 of them? Infact all the men on the island are in jail:D

Nonexistentland, you forgot Isreal.

Did I? Looks like it. My apologies.

It is alright, I think we still got the point that nations with Nuclear strike capabilities are very rare. Plus with the Star Wars program the United States could shoot down ICBMs.

In regards to genuine military capacity, Russia remains proposition few could contend with. A much overloooked state in my opinion.

It is true the Russia has a lot of tanks and aircraft, but many are outdated. I would shudder to see what a battalion of M-1 A2 Abrams tanks would do to the entire 50,000 some tanks Russia still has. I would place my bets with the Abrams.

US choppers like the Apache Longbow, would also annihalate the T-72s that Russia has.