Risottia
03-05-2007, 16:52
In so many threads, questions have arisen about "who will be superpower in ...", "next superpower", "is USA the sole superpower", "is EU a superpower", "is Russia still a superpower"...etc.
Wikipedia gives this list of factors to determine whether a power is a superpower or no (they admit it is not ultimate, and a state might qualify as superpower even without some of these requirements).
Cultural
Strong cultural influence, having soft power. Cultural influence implies a developed philosophy and ideology.
Geographical
It should have a wide land or sea area under its control. Territory allows a country to mine minerals and grow food, increasing its self-sufficiency. It is an important factor in warfare as it allows possibilities such as retreat, regrouping and reorganization as well as placing distant radars and missile silos - even a richer country with smaller territory is more vulnerable in a military sense.
Economic and financial
Superior economic power is characterized by access to raw materials, volume and productivity of the domestic market, a leading position in world trade as well as global financial markets, innovation, and the ability to accumulate capital. Human space exploration may be considered one of the key defining economic characteristics of the Cold War superpowers, as this ability was a source of intense rivalry between them for decades. Space exploration represents an ability to spend in drastically wide-scale operations.
Demographic
A superpower should have a large and educated populace and should have a highly developed infrastructure and pronounced cultural and economic ability to shape the regions around them as well as the ones under direct control.
Military
Pre-eminent military ability, characterized by relative invulnerability, ability to deter or cause great damage, and capacity to effectively project unified military power globally, including nuclear weapons. However, nuclear weapons alone do not necessarily make a nation a superpower, and being a superpower may not necessarily require nuclear weapons, although some would agree that one should at least have the ability to create them relatively quickly. Nations such as Japan would fit this definition.
Political or ideological
A functioning political system that is capable of mobilizing resources for world political goals and immense ideological influence.
I'd say that, by these definitions, that the current superpowers are USA, EU (even in its unique "loose union" form), Russia and Japan, with India and China en route to superpower status. This is reflected in the G-10 group.
Brazil might be a new candidate to superpower status, yet their internal market and the low military capability (when confronted with full-fledged superpowers) place Brazil in the regional power list, I think.
Anyway, about the military issue, I would simplify that to "impossible to beat on its own territory in a non-nuclear confrontation".
About geography, even partial self-sufficiency of resources isn't that important once a state has a superior economical power. And "sea" under control? The ocean isn't that important, after all. Land is far more important.
Input and discussion superwelcome!
Wikipedia gives this list of factors to determine whether a power is a superpower or no (they admit it is not ultimate, and a state might qualify as superpower even without some of these requirements).
Cultural
Strong cultural influence, having soft power. Cultural influence implies a developed philosophy and ideology.
Geographical
It should have a wide land or sea area under its control. Territory allows a country to mine minerals and grow food, increasing its self-sufficiency. It is an important factor in warfare as it allows possibilities such as retreat, regrouping and reorganization as well as placing distant radars and missile silos - even a richer country with smaller territory is more vulnerable in a military sense.
Economic and financial
Superior economic power is characterized by access to raw materials, volume and productivity of the domestic market, a leading position in world trade as well as global financial markets, innovation, and the ability to accumulate capital. Human space exploration may be considered one of the key defining economic characteristics of the Cold War superpowers, as this ability was a source of intense rivalry between them for decades. Space exploration represents an ability to spend in drastically wide-scale operations.
Demographic
A superpower should have a large and educated populace and should have a highly developed infrastructure and pronounced cultural and economic ability to shape the regions around them as well as the ones under direct control.
Military
Pre-eminent military ability, characterized by relative invulnerability, ability to deter or cause great damage, and capacity to effectively project unified military power globally, including nuclear weapons. However, nuclear weapons alone do not necessarily make a nation a superpower, and being a superpower may not necessarily require nuclear weapons, although some would agree that one should at least have the ability to create them relatively quickly. Nations such as Japan would fit this definition.
Political or ideological
A functioning political system that is capable of mobilizing resources for world political goals and immense ideological influence.
I'd say that, by these definitions, that the current superpowers are USA, EU (even in its unique "loose union" form), Russia and Japan, with India and China en route to superpower status. This is reflected in the G-10 group.
Brazil might be a new candidate to superpower status, yet their internal market and the low military capability (when confronted with full-fledged superpowers) place Brazil in the regional power list, I think.
Anyway, about the military issue, I would simplify that to "impossible to beat on its own territory in a non-nuclear confrontation".
About geography, even partial self-sufficiency of resources isn't that important once a state has a superior economical power. And "sea" under control? The ocean isn't that important, after all. Land is far more important.
Input and discussion superwelcome!