Superpowers - Challenges in Superpowers

Economic Problems:

• SPs look to maintain their dominance in the global economy whilst maintaining the rise of the BRIC and other Asian countries.
• Main competition is to keep up with economic growth and rising GDP in the face of competition.
• As the world develops economic restructuring may be needed on declining primary and secondary industry e.g Detroit and Bolton.
• Major problems: Ageing population, huge debts causing deprivation. SPs deal with increasing government debt. Restructuring economy.
• Political unrest can bring economic problems – will the UK leaving the EU affect the amount of money the EU is getting? Will they still be a contender as an emerging superpower once the UK leaves?

Economic Cost:

• Maintaining the military can be an economic drain e.g USA spends $600 billion on the military. They also spend money on NASA. All of this helps to maintain hyperpower status but as emerging powers grow, different military will begin to test their status and they may not be able to grow.
• The EU is looking to have it’s own army which may challenge the USA army. Will this be stronger with or without the UK?

Futures:

• Very uncertain
• Possibly a hyperpower or multi-polar world. 2030 is predicted to bring no change but 2050 may see the a bi-polar world at least.

Superpowers - Relationship with LEDCs

Previous Relations:

• SPs tend to have a more ‘one-sided’ relationship with LECDs as trade has benefitted the SPs more e.g importing goods from Chad.
• WTO and other blocs have attempted to kickstart free trade and allow loans, but this must be repaid. LECDs are very much dependant on superpowers to maintain their own position.
• FDI has meant that African countries must open up TNCs through the dependency/neo-colonialism approach. Problems facing LECDs mean that many have left the areas but LECDs still have problems.

Economic Ties Presenting Opportunities:

• China’s interest in Africa has increased as FDI has grown rapidly. Increasing spheres of influence benefit China by allowing them a stake in oil and Chad.
• China has huge contracts to build roads and infrastructure, but this can prose problems especially if China loses money through a break out of war.
• This benefits Africa as the areas develop, increasing globalisation, interdependence and GDP leading to a upward spiral of quality of life.
• China is exploiting Africa too much? The environment is getting damaged and there have been large oil spills. Resource wars in Congo have also been seen between minerals to sell in China.
• Whilst there are lots of opportunities for SPs to invest in Africa ultimately, it causes exploitation, corruption and environmental damage.

Rising Economic Importance Increasing Geopolitical Importance:

• Asia is growing in importance and power. This will increase the role of Asia and will be reflected in economic, political, cultural, military and demographic influences.
• Will also cause conflict in Asia itself as the area is very diverse and disputes may arise over water and energy, IP right or even territorial claims.

Tensions Leading To Problems:

• Middle East is very important for energy resources and has grown in recent years. Many of the different countries have different allies to one another e.g Syria to Russia & Saudi Arabia to western countries.
• Can bring conflict over resources through this, religious tensions may also increase.
• Recent tensions have been major war due to religious conflict and have destroyed whole towns and cities.
• Can lead to problems for SPs as they support different sides and want to avoid inevitable conflict altogether.
• Issues for the country itself through the millions of displaced people and energy resources becoming more and more expensive.
• Whole area is unstable and is likely to be a no-go area for SP as they try and avoid conflict with Turkey in order to avoid more attacks on western countries.
• SPs have struggled to gain influence of these countries and they depend on them for alliances. Future geopolitics is likely to be intense but there may be some opportunities but mainly challenges.

Superpowers - Sphere of Influence

• SPs want resources – human and physical. Vital for TNCs & government. Resources are contested e.g land borders, islands or areas.
• Sphere of influence are physical resources over which a country claims economic, military, cultural or political rights. Represent areas that a country has a ‘right’ over.

Disputes & Tensions:

• SPs have tensions over physical resources
• Territories in the Arctic.
• All countries have an economic exclusive zone (EEC), 200 miles from the coast but they often extend resulting in conflict.
• Current conflict in the Arctic as EEC spreads from the Lomonosov Ridge. Global warming may further increase tensions as the ice melts.

Property Rights:

• Legal ownership of design or invention e.g iPhone is owned by Apple.
• Important because ideas and inventions are stolen reducing the benefit of developing new products as inventions are not profitable.
• Can lead to a strain on trade relations between countries e.g China & USA.

Territorial Tensions:

• Disputes over physical resources like oil and gas
• Expansionist policy in Russia has led to them building new islands and a military base e.g Spratly Islands
• Different countries can share the EEZ of countries
• USA, EU and Russia in the Arctic ocean over oil
• Sovereignty may be affect4ed in Ukraine by Russian supporting rebels.
• NATO have concerns about Russia’s actions so the EU & USA have stepped up military presence in the area to protect citizens. The SOI has increased.

Futures:

• Demands for resources increase and territorial disputes grow leading to conflict e.g China & BRICs.
• A multi-polar world leads to more tensions and military spheres leading to a higher risk of war and fighting between superpowers.

Superpowers - The Environment

Demands:

• SP demands lots of resources e.g food, fossil fuels and minerals like metal. Ecological footprint is very high.
• China is consuming fossil fuels on a huge scale. MEDCs & NICs need/use large amounts of iron and steel for transport
• China emits 26%, whilst USA 14%.
• SP contribute heavily to resource use and environmental problems. China is very polluted has and has polluted air and water.

Willingness & Attitudes:

• SPs have a low attitude and willingness to act to reduce carbon emissions and overcome other environmental issues between countries
• USA, China and Russia have been wary to sign agreements that limit greenhouse gas emissions due to concern over it limiting economic development
• China, USA and Russia have large FF reserves and want to use them for energy security and industry.
• EU has been better at becoming greener (less FF reserves). EU have led the way in reducing emissions.

Resource Consumption:

• The BRIC will use more resources as GDP rises and people get richer and more middle class. Life styles will improve, consumerism grows and more water and energy security is needed as well as food and raw materials.

Country:	Problems With Consumption Increases:
Brazil:	Deforestation of the Amazon. Forest fires and drought
Russia:	Oil spills and pollution in Russia.
India:	Huge amounts of poverty, air pollution in Delhi. Lack of resources for electronics.
China:	300 million rise from poverty to middle class. Fast food diets increase and more meat consumed. Yangtze polluted. More floods and storms

Summary:

• Global resource consumption is unsustainable and as emerging powers develop, they will use up more natural resources and degrade the environment.
• China will contribute the most damage to air and water and global warming
• Brazil most will be lost of rainforests and species.
• USA and EU are not doing enough to reduce impacts.

Superpowers - Superpowers Making Decisions

Global Action:

• Superpowers play a key role in global action e.g USA giving medical aid after the Haiti 2010 natural disaster.
• Crisis response can also occur when conflict arise e.g the war on terror.
• EU and UK also involved in this, not as powerful, but they support the USA.
• The USA as a superpower is so powerful that it acts alone without any help from the UN.
• UN is the IGO of all countries known as the ‘global police’.
• Emerging BRICs do not intervene often as they might be afraid of USA conflict or more interested in their own development.

Alliances:

• Superpowers always want to develop alliances that can either be military, economic or environment.
• Through the Cold War, the USA has had very song military alliances with NATO (hard power)
• NATO is a military deterrent that deters others from attacking such as Russia.
• USA has many bilateral military agreements such as air and navy bases with Japan and Australia.
• China does not have any major officials military alliances
• MEDCs like the EU and the USA are historical allies through trade, language and similar development but NATO is more of a formal geopolitical IGO.

Alliances To Gain Power:

• British Empire had many alliances through force whilst the Cold War saw USA and USSR try and gain allies around the world.
• This is the biggest limitation of the emerging BRIC superpowers as they do not have a strong or global allies like the USA. Unlikely that China and Russia will ever be allies despite being similar.

Alliances For the Economy:

• Most powerful are trade blocs such as the EU as they have free trade and free markets, increasing trade interdependence and security to goods.
• Even more powerful than military alliances as they increase development and economic growth as well as dependence on the west.

Alliances For The Environment:

• Agreements such as the Paris Agreement get all the nations to sign a deal to reduce carbon emissions but there are major problems such as them being voluntary.
• The USA actually left the deal but this shows the hegemony power which they have as they don’t care enough to take a lead role.

The UN To Increase Geopolitical Stability:

• Aim for world peace and development. USA and EU have the most power in them. USA pay the most towards them and so have the most control. Have also acted without UN approval e.g 2003 invasion.

Security Council:

• Approves peacekeeping soldiers the UN send to conflict zones known as peacekeeper missions which aim to protect citizens
• Often don’t agree e.g China and Russia have vetoed in areas in the Middle East where emerging powers are cautious over USA dominance. The USA may have the power but the emerging countries don’t like to play.

Courts & Climate Change:

• Role in the international court of justice which aims to resolve disputes between UN members. Commonly over border issues e.g India/Pakistan conflict with Kashmir or illegal actions.
• Independent body with less superpower influence.
• Paris Agreement was managed through the UN which means that the UN plays a key role in international decisions over the physical environment but the USA has the least amount of power as they pulled out.
• China is now increasing its role in such agreements and the EU is also a superpower who is becoming important for alternate energies.

Superpowers - Superpowers Impacting the Economy

Influencing The Global Economy:

• USA heavily influences the global economy especially in LDCs where US Dollars is accepted as currency
• USA promotes free trade and free market capitalism but this benefits the USA mainly. The same goes for the EU.
• Free trade removes taxes and quotas and allow trade to be made more cheaply. The EU does this but the EU and America does not do this fully as it would mean that the markets would flood and damage MEDCs.
• Capitalism is the approach for western countries as it likes free trade and economic liberalisation. This allows superpowers to open up the foreign markets to sell exports and import cheaply.

IGOs Influencing The Global Economy:

• Dominated by core powers but do help LDCs. Beneficial to increase world development but some see them as neo-colonialism.

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
WTO (World Trade Organisation): Promotes free trade, headquarters in the EU.
Trade benefits MEDCs through control to access LEDC markets	‘Strings attached’ aid e.g Thailand and America
IMF & World Bank:
Aid development	Add conditions e.g country must allow American goods in
Improves infrastructure leading to the economy growing	Reliant on trade bloc

TNCs Influencing The Global Economy:

• Important in maintaining superpower wealth as they increase globalisation and dominate natural resource trade and goods.
• Large profits return to the source country e.g USA.
• TNCs are able to control technology through patents reducing competition from LEDC TNCs.
• Resource TNCs (Gazprom) important for control in terms of superpowers.
• USA dominates world TNCs (Google, Facebook, Apple) and have increasing profits coming from other countries.
• Tactics such as glocalisation and offshoring means that the markets expand and grow becoming even richer.

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Provide jobs	Exploit workers
Economic growth for infrastructure	Cause pollution
Raises GPD	Cause cultural erosion

Cultural Globalisation Influencing The Global Economy:

• Western TNCs benefit from cultural globalisation and responsible for causing it.
• TNCs such as McDonalds and Google lead to more westernisation where the cultures of one country changes to become more like the USA.
• The spread of music, language and arts can happen this way and it is a form of soft power.
• Good because those in LEDCs see an increase in lifestyle and standard of living and they take in the ideology of a country and become consumers of the same products and get profit back to the USA.

Superpowers - Emerging Superpowers

The BRICS:

• Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa (BRICS vs BRIC)
• They are becoming increasingly important to global economies as well as the politics of the world.
• They have large physical and human resources, large population, strong cultures and growing political influence.
• Strength and weaknesses of countries will determine their future power. The EU is a recently established power but it is outmatched by the USA.

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
China: Obvious emerging superpower
Will soon become the world’s largest economy	Faces huge ageing population
Invested heavily to create world leading education and industry	Environmental pollution levels are very damaging to human health
Military might is expanding	Relies on imported resources
	Bad water and energy security
	Not huge links with cultural and political influences.
India: Another contender for China
Big population (1 billion) and 300 million in the middle class	Internal affairs
Space programme, nuclear weapons and unique culture	600 million citizens in poverty e.g Dharavi
	Neutral stance in world politics.
Brazil: Regional superpower over South America
Huge resources for agriculture and biofuels	Mainly a regional superpower over South America lacking power on the world political stage e.g UN
Large educated workforce	Major economic slowdown following economic crash
	Crime rate rising
	Environmental problems e.g deforestation of the Amazon
Russia: Former superpower but could retain status as superpower
Vast energy and mineral resources	Soft power is weak compared with the USA
Large army, big population	Far fewer allies
Strong desire for expansionist policies to become a world player and control allies	Major problems with alcoholism and crime
Putin as a major rival to the USA	Physically switched off in areas in Siberia.

Development Theories:

• Modernisation Theory: Countries start off poor, develop and improve over time leading to them becoming richer.
  • The country modernises by advancing in technology, trade and globalisation. Happened to the British Empire and USA.
  • NICs showing this trend e.g South Korea. Does not account for why LDCs like Chad remain switched off and why some countries get worse e.g North Korea.
• Dependency Theory: The poorest countries stay dependant on the richest countries and do not change.
  • USA, UK use aid, trade and debt control of world political and economic systems to suppress and control places such as Sub-Saharan Africa and poorer parts of Asia.
  • A strong belief in neo-colonialism. Explains why LDCs remain poor but does not account for countries improving often with the help of MEDC soft power.
• World Systems Theory: Core countries (MEDCs), Semi-periphery (NICs) and periphery (LDCs) exist. A looping pattern that explains the current crop of the world but doesn’t explain why this pattern occurs.

Superpowers - Superpowers Over Times

Polarity:

• Unipolar world: One polarity i.e one superpower such as the USA or British Empire.
• Bipolar world: Two polarities i.e two countries that are superpowers such as the USA & USSR during the Cold War.
• Multipolar world: Several superpowers and emerging powers competing for power. This may be the future of the world when China is more developed.
• Britain was a unipolar SP when there was advanced technology and a large navy hence they had control. They gained colonies through hard power such as the Navy and soft power such as education to create a rich elite in the countries they invaded. In India, English culture remains strong
• A multipolar world may be unstable as countries challenge each other for a unipolar power world.
• Even a bipolar world has been unstable in the past during the Cold War when USA and USSR was competing for power and had different allies. Nuclear warheads were created and the end of the world was almost seen.
• Hegemony: Total control by one superpower e.g right now with USA.

Why Did A Bipolar World (USA vs USSR) Collapse:

• Essentially, the wind of change occurred meaning that USSR’s power was declining and the USA had more powerful political allies which saw this win and the USSR collapse.
• The USA capitalist society tried to contain communism from Russia which it saw as a threat but the USSR responded by getting more military. They created nuclear war heads. Russia also went for a expansionist policy by expanding their boarders.
• They never fought each other but were opposed to other nations in the Vietnam War
• In terms of culture, population and resources and political allies, the USA won and USSR lost.

Changing Patterns of Power:

• Many people think the future will be a more complex, fragmented and regional multi-polar world

• It is important to recognise that power can decline as well as grow
• Indirect control is now more important than direct control

Indirect Control & Neo-Colonialism:

• Neo-Colonialism: When colonies get independence.
• Indirect Control: Using methods to benefit and control countries without having armies or presence in the country e.g providing aid to build roads and hospitals or letting TNCs in.

Direct Imperial Control (Colonialism)	Indirect Neo-Colonialism:
Military power is important	Loans given which need to be repaid
‘Divide and rule’ – supporting certain groups to get them to fight others.	TNCs taking profit from the country
Navy ships invading or invasion in general.	Cheap raw material exported out, high value machinery sold in
	Help with technology and development to increase dependency

Superpowers - Maintaining Control

What Are Superpowers:

• A dominant global force in terms of culture, military and economic & political influence.
• Superpowers: USA, EU. Emerging Superpowers: China, Russia & India. Regional Power: Brazil, Japan, Gulf States, Mexico and South Africa.
• They have the ability to affect and control world affairs. When one exists it is called a ‘hyperpower’ such as the USA from 1990-2018*.
• Emerging superpowers have a growing economic and military presence but are not quite there yet such as China in 2017.
• Dominance of superpower over other countries can be described with the word: Hegemony.

Depends on Five Factors:

1. Economic Power: Most important, wealth to develop technology, exploit resources, education improvements and build up a large military.
2. Military Power: Either the threat or actual force used to achieve geopolitical goals e.g Navy.
3. Political Power: Influencing other countries through diplomacy e.g UN, WTO, EU
4. Cultural Power: Appeal of a country’s way of life (ideology) and includes media, food and language.
5. Resources: Includes physical resources e.g Fossil Fuels and human resources (skills and education)

Maintaining Power – Hard & Soft Power:

Hard:	Soft:
Direct, force, make, top-down, linear.	Indirect, charm, let, bottom-up, non-linear
Drone strikes by the USA in Iraq	McDonalds “charm” in other countries.

• Hard power is using force to do something e.g USA’s military action in Iraq.
• Soft power is the use of charm and persuasion to get people to like, follow and support you such as Americanisation.
• Size of influence is known as the “sphere of influence”. USA has a global sphere of influence.
• Soft power creates followers and allies but hard power is difficult to get right.
• Soft power is becoming more important, British Empire used a lot of hard power but today, soft power is less dangerous and effective. Diplomacy is important and can make a country gain lots of followers.
• Heartland Theory (Geo-strategic location theory): A country that hasn’t been invaded due to huge physical geography.
• Hard power creates enemies, problems and cost.

The Geography of Power:

• “size is not everything”. Demographic superpowers have little economic power
• Military spending is one form of power as it allows superpowers to have a global military reach.
• USA is highly influence in terms of economic, military, geopolitical and cultural terms.
• Has largest GDP ($18 Billion), good ally, spends $600 billion on military, large population, attractive lifestyle.
• SP status change over time. Military was important a long time ago but not economy, politics and culture are increasingly important e.g soft power from the USA.