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| A '''superpower''' is a ] with the ability to influence events on a global scale. In practice, this means one with strong armed forces and a huge arsenal of ]. |
A '''superpower''' is a ] with the ability to influence events on a global scale. In practice, this means one with strong armed forces, including ] and ] capabilities, and a huge arsenal of ]. | ||
| During the ] the two superpowers were the ] and the ]. With the political collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is the world's sole remaining superpower. | During the ] the two superpowers were the ] and the ]. With the political collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is the world's sole remaining superpower. | ||
Revision as of 02:15, 11 July 2002
A superpower is a state with the ability to influence events on a global scale. In practice, this means one with strong armed forces, including air power and satellite capabilities, and a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons.
During the Cold War the two superpowers were the United States and the Soviet Union. With the political collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is the world's sole remaining superpower.
Critics of the United States describe the current state of affairs as the Pax Americana, with the United States as guarantor of world peace. Harsher critics say that America is acting as an imperialist nation, despite its protests to the contrary.
This is in contrast to its position of isolationism in the early 20th century.
American entanglement abroad
America's position as a superpower has entangled it in almost every major conflict world-wide, including the Middle East crisis and the situation in Kashmir.
America was attacked by Al Qaeda in 2001, and is now fighting a "War on Terrorism" world-wide. America is now also reported as making plans to invade Iraq.
Americans in general regard their interventions as forced on them by moral necessity. The American public generally sees world affairs in moral terms, with "good guys" and "bad guys", rather than in terms of realpolitik and moral equivalence.
Potential superpowers
Countries that could become superpowers in the coming decades include:
- Russia, the most powerful of the countries of the former Soviet Union
- China, which currently only has a small nuclear deterrent, but the world's largest army.