Mechanisms of maintaining power sit on a spectrum from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ power, which vary in their effectiveness.

Question 1

soft power= cultural attractiveness.

Answer 1

• the power that rises from 3 of a countries resources;
  1) its culture- places where its attractive to others
  2) political values- democracy/ overseas image
  3) foreign policies- where these have a widely supported moral authority

-the worlds most powerful countries use a combo of hard and soft power to achieve smart power.

Question 2

creating a soft power index

Answer 2

range of data;

• overseas aid contributions
• no of embassies overseas
• income inequality
• democracy
• personal freedoms

Question 3

how effective is soft power

Answer 3

• many countries rely on soft power for overseas influence, its attractive and effective.
• olympic and Paralympic Games have been used by host countries to improve their global brand.
• rio games-2016 were part of brazils aspiration as an emerging economy to join global power ratings.

Question 4

hard power

Answer 4

• military force
• economic sanctions
• expression of a countries will/ influence through military force, few actions resulted in military force.

Question 5

superpower

Answer 5

-the power to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, sometimes in more than one region in the globe at one time.
-the word was first used at the end of ww2 to describe the global influence held by the British empire and use and Soviet Union.
-however since 1945 the world has changed-
>British empire has disappeared with its members gaining independence
>soviet union collapsed in 1991 breaking up into 15 independent states
>only the use remains as a major power - has become a supreme superpower

Question 6

21st century has posed a threat to American power

Answer 6

BRICS- all aim for superpower status in their own right, however ambitious that may be.
-7 factors help assess who might rival the use now/futur
1 physical size and geographical position
2 Economic power and influence
3. demographic factors
4political factors
5. military strength
6 cultural influence
7 access to natural resources

Question 7

1 physical size and geographical position

Answer 7

-important bc each one determines the area over which a country has influence, larger countries usually have greater influence.
example- Russia is the worlds largest country and it controls significant resources as a result. its the largest country bordering the arctic region.

Question 8

2 Economic power and influence

Answer 8

the worlds ten largest economies by percentage of global GDP; THESE COUNTRIES influence much of the overall global economy, between them they;
-each 65% of global GDP. -5 largest consumer markets= use china Japan Germany uk

• control investment- most investment is targeted at these ten countries bc companies investing are more likely to make a profit.
• have the worlds most powerful currencies- US dollar despite its weakness- the euro. The usa and eu produce over 40% of GDP. their currencies are seen as safe
• determine global economic policies- by joining political and economic organisations such as g20, or trading blocs. their strength determines what happens to global trade

20 largest countries usually give most aid to the poor

Question 9

3. demographic factors

Answer 9

population size= key to economic success, by providing sufficient labour force to generate economic growth. it spurs economic growth.
- china and India use their large population as a source of cheap labour in manufacturing.
however its not key as Singapore population is half that of London yet it still has a major influence.

Question 10

4political factors

Answer 10

• most have decided that greater influence can be achieved by linking together with like minded countries. in 1960 the organisation for economic cooperation and development began with 20 of the worlds most developed economies, it now has 35.
• its aim is to promote global development by sharing common issues and policies.

-however, other IGOS have superseded the OECD in influence;
>until recently the most powerful group was the G8- 8 members whose economies were the largest
>as global shift in economic power has moved towards Asia there has been a shift away from g8. a much broader group called g20 now exists with an extra 12 others- BRICs.- significant decision making forum

Question 11

5. military strength

Answer 11

• major influence in determining power. most countries use to protect themselves against challenges- measure of power= military strength. china has the largest , followed by usa.
• however it is often less significant than national defence budgets and tech.
• usa has the largest budget, china 2nd. us Zalsohave a greater global reach- how fat weapons can travel.
• china focuses on the security of the south china sea

Question 12

6 cultural influence

Answer 12

-increased globalisation has led to a global culture spread via multi media TNCs such as Disney or Sony. They dominate global culture by deciding which films people can watch, what radio stations and music.

Question 13

7 access to natural resources

Answer 13

• some resources are essential to economic development e.g. oil or metals. iron ore is the basis of the steel industry while oil and gas are used in electricity production.
• many countries natural resources are managed by TNCs e.g. shell and BP have developed Nigerias oilfields.