Major power

A major power is a term that encompasses those countries or political entities that cannot be regarded as a superpowers, and yet have substantial influence on other states. The metrics used to measure these powers are similar to the criteria for superpowers, but a major power need not meet all the criteria, nor are the criteria as strictly measured.

Some major powers are in relative decline, having once been great powers: United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.

On the other hand, new powers are emerging, often referred to as the BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Note that there are arguments to consider Russia a declining as well as a rising power.

China and India are regarded as major powers and also as potential superpowers.

Some of the current major powers in western-Europe are part of a supra-national potential superpower, the European Union.

Major powers

Brazil

See also: Economy of Brazil, Military of Brazil, Mercosur, South American Community of Nations.

Brazil is considered an emerging major power because:

Major factors

Its geographical position in South America is strategically placed;

The country's population is the 7th largest in the world [1]

The country is an important commodity (mineral and agricultural) producer. Concerning energy sources, Brazil is already one of the major users of biofuel in the world;

Brazil is one of the world's largest democracies (more than 100 million voters), being a federal republic and holding national and local elections and referendums. Besides it has a great human diversity, not presenting any serious religious, racial or international political disputes;

The country is a leader among developing countries in diverse questions such as trade disputes at the World Trade Organization. Also it is an important contributor to the peacekeeping troops of United Nations;

Brazil is claiming a permanent seat alongside Japan, India and Germany at the UN Security Council;

Brazil possesses an industrialized economy, having the 9th largest GDP (PPP) in the world, being the core economy of Mercosur or an eventual South American Community of Nations. Goods exported include steel, electronics, cars and buses, airplanes (Embraer is the fourth largest airplane maker), agricultural equipment, ships and engines among others. Brazil is already an important exporter platform for South America, utilized by many multinationals.

Among the emerging markets that form BRIC, Brazil is the most integrated and important member in the international capital markets, followed by Russia. China and India are still infant nations concerning this parameter.

Major issues There are however many factors that are weighing down on Brazil's growth:

Brazil still suffers from many problems typical of developing countries, such as poor infrastructure, poverty, a massive gap between the rich and poor, an unstable economy, disease, famine, widespread corruption, and inefficiency.
As a military power, Brazil has long ago relinquished hegemonic status in South America; and after the restoration of democracy, military spending, along with the will to upgrade the country's insufficiently equipped armed forces, has dwindled considerably. Furthermore, Brazil has signed many international agreements and limitations which will prevent it from becoming a military regional power.
Brazil lacks an imposing and decisive presence and influence at many international forums, at the level of other powers;
It has not yet developed nuclear weapons nor any effactive missile delivery system, which would give it deterrence power;
The Brazilian economy is insufficiently strong to exert any considerable influence on the larger world economy.

China

For information about China, see Potential Superpowers—China .

See also: People's Republic of China, Politics of the People's Republic of China, People's Liberation Army, Culture of China.

France

See also: France, Economy of France.

France was once a world power, and has a large and stable population and its own nuclear deterrent. France has been a major power since the reign of Louis XIV, who expanded the border eastward several hundred kilometres. This resulted in French domination over continental Europe during the reign of Napoleon.

French power grew considerably in the century after the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon was defeated in 1815, however, it never reached the same height of power again. France later gained almost all of West Africa, Madagascar, Algeria and Indochina at the height of its colonial empire. These all gained independence after WWII.

France still exercises immense economic and cultural influence over former French colonies in Africa, but in recent times its role in world affairs has dominished. In the years since the Second World Was, France has devoted its efforts to playing a leading role in the European Union. It is in relative economic, political and demographic decline vis-à-vis the rest of the world. However France retains a permanent seat in the UN security council.

Germany

See also: Demographics of Germany, Economy of Germany, Politics of Germany, Culture of Germany.

Germany was one of the leading major powers before World War II, however, after the Second World War it had to rebuild it's military and economy, which has somewhat lessened its present capabilities. Yet it has risen to be the largest economy of EU.

At the moment:

Germany has the largest economy in the E.U and the 3rd largest (nominal) or 5th largest (PPP) in the world.

India

For information about India, see Potential Superpowers—India.

See also: India, Politics of India, Economy of India, Culture of India, Demographics of India.

Japan

See also: Demographics of Japan, Economy of Japan, Politics of Japan, Culture of Japan.

Japan is currently the second largest economy in the world. It is a world leader in terms of its technological capabilities.

Economic power

With the world's second largest economy, Japan has significant international influence.
Japan also exports many high quality goods, technology and services around the world such as consumer electronics, motor vehicles, digital cameras, televisions, LCD, mobile phones and heavy machinery. Japan is also home to many multinational corporations that produce various products and services. Examples of Japanese multinational corporations include Sony, Toyota and Hitachi.

Cultural power

Japan has enormous cultural power in East Asia. Many of its films, music and language are quite popular with many Asians, including those living in Mainland China, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand.
Such artists as Ayumi Hamasaki, Utada Hikaru and Nakashima Mika are very popular in Asian countries. Japanese Manga and Anime, which feature a unique style of cartoon animation and storyline, are exported internationally. Examples of successful anime series are Robotech, Dragon Ball and Pokemon. Japan also has a very successful international video game industry. Examples of successful Japanese video game series are Street Fighter, Tekken and Final Fantasy.

Military power

Although Japan has the fifth largest budget in terms of military spending [2], Japan's military is restricted by Article 9 in its constitution. Japan can only use its Japan Self-Defence Force to defend itself; the State forever renounced war as a sovereign nation.
Japan is closely allied with the United States and as a result has 47,000 Japanese servicemen stationed in Okinawa. This particular arrangement of balance of power in the Pacific Rim maintains the peace and stability of the region. See United States Forces Japan for more details.

Political issues

Japan's neighbours, especially China, Korea and countries that suffered at the hands of the Japanese in World War II have issues with Japan's sincerity in acknowledging their wartime atrocities, e.g. education textbook not reflecting true history. Due to unresolved historical ties with China, Japan has been unable to gain a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has in the past visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine which has caused a diplomatic spat with China, South Korea and other countries.
Demographically, Japan has a fast aging population, presenting prospective problems concerning sources of labour, economic growth as well as welfare expenses.

Russia

See also: Economy of Russia, Military of Russia, Demographics of Russia, Politics of Russia, Culture of Russia.

Russia still possesses some attributes of a superpower, notably including the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Russia also possesses substantial conventional military might, inherited from the USSR. It retains the ability to develop advanced military and space technologies and has the proven ability to conduct manned space travel.

It is the geographically largest country of the world and has control over a variety of strategic raw materials.
It possesses the entirety of Europe's land-based oil reserves and also has substantial reserves of natural gas. Russia is a major supplier of both oil and gas to other European nations.

Military power

Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, combined with effective ICBM delivery systems. Much of this arsenal consists of Soviet-era missiles, and Russia has taken steps to extend their service life. It has also begun to deploy the modern Topol-M ICBM and has continued development of a new-generation SLBM, known as the Bulava.
Despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it has continued space exploration, sometimes in cooperation with space missions conducted by NASA and the ESA. These operations have a degree of military potential.
Russia continues to maintain military bases abroad, giving it regional power projection capabilities.
Following Russia's recent economic recovery, the Russian military has become more active and has held a number of large-scale exercises, both within Russia and in cooperation with international partners. Russian troops have participated in exercises with NATO troops (within the framework of the NATO-Russia Council), and in 2005 Russia held major military exercises with China and with India.
When examined in terms of raw numbers, the Russian military is impressive (e.g. size of army, number of nuclear warheads, etc.), however it must be borne in mind that the Russian army remains primarily conscript based (although attempts are being made to increase the proportion of professional soldiers). The sustainability of current manning levels is questionable.
Russia has significantly increased its defense budget in recent years, although the Russian armed forces still experience considerable under-funding. Russia runs its armed forces on a budget roughly comparable with countries such as France and Germany; both of which possess far smaller armed forces than Russia (numerically speaking). Consequently the Russian armed forces suffer from low pay and morale, and indiscipline and bullying are widespread.
Russia's recent economic recovery has allowed the military to begin procuring modern military hardware, although in limited quantity. A large percentage of the Russian military continues to suffer from a lack of modern equipment and has difficulty in maintaining existing combat hardware. This is well demonstrated by the situation with the Russian Navy, large portions of which remain at anchor, inoperable due to neglect and failure to perform necessary maintenance.
Despite the economic woes that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has retained the capability to design and build advanced space technology and weapons systems. This is evidenced by Russia's work on the International Space Station and the proposed new-generation Kliper spacecraft, as well as by current military projects such as the PAK-FA 5th generation fighter, the advanced Borei-class nuclear submarine, and the S-400 surface-to-air missile complex. Russia is a major exporter of advanced military hardware to countries such as China and India.

Political power

It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which gives it veto capabilities in the U.N.
It is a member of influential international organizations such as the G8, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the SCO. In 2006 Russia took over the rotating presidency of the G8.
Russia is the dominant member of the CIS and has been expanding its influence by pushing for the implementation of a common economic space between certain members of this organization (possibly within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community). Russia is also a dominant member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which groups some CIS states into a common defense sphere.
Russia's status as a major oil and gas supplier gives it tremendous strategic leverage - as seen in the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute in Dec. 2005. Russian energy companies such as Lukoil and Gazprom are becoming increasingly influential, with the latter ranked among the top ten companies in the world by market capitalization.
Due to its economic recovery (partly driven by its oil and gas exports) Russia is no longer dependent on foreign lenders, has consistent budget surpluses, and has built up substantial gold and foreign currency reserves. A portion of these reserves has been used to pay down foreign debt ahead of time, saving Russia a considerable amount of money in interest payments. On February 21, 2006 Russia announced that it has pre-paid $1.195 billion to Paris Club creditors (in addition to the $15 billion that it pre-paid in 2005) and has plans to pre-pay another $12 billion in 2006. ^[3]. If these pre-payments occur as planned, Russia will have eliminated almost all of the USSR's debt.
Russia pursues an active foreign policy and has been involved in numerous international diplomatic efforts. It has been instrumental in trying to deal with nations such as Iran and North Korea, and is also a member of the Middle East Peace Quartet.
Russia is a major partner in the International Space Station. Following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the grounding of the U.S. shuttle fleet, Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft remained the only way of reaching the station.

Political issues

Substantial ethnic strife is emerging in the Caucuses with the potential to destabilize the region.
It is questionable whether Russia's current borders are sustainable. Russia is experiencing considerable Chinese immigration east of the Urals, into those areas bordering China. It is thought that this may potentially lead to the loss of one of the most mineral rich regions in Russia and it remains to be seen whether effective action will be taken to address the issue.
Russia's economy has generally been thought to be less stable and competitive on a global scale, but it has experienced significant growth since the 1998 financial crisis, although this growth is substantially based upon exploitation of gas and oil reserves. It is debatable whether the current emphasis on extractive industry will hamper Russia's long-term growth. It should be noted, however, that the Russian government has repeatedly emphasized the need to diversify the economy and reduce Russia's dependence on the export of natural resources.
The Russian population has been shrinking since the end of the Soviet Union and is predicted to fall even lower within the next 10 years, due to drastically shortened life expectancy and falling birth-rates. Life in what was one of the safest places in the world has become rife with danger and insecurity for most people; combined with Russia's appallingly high levels of alcaholism (particularly amongst men), there is the potential for a demographic crisis within the next few decades.
Out of control post-Soviet corruption diverts vast sums of government resources away from valuable programs. Corruption is also endemic in its business sector. On February 17, 2006 the Russian State Duma (lower house of Parliament) voted unanimously to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. ^[4] This may lead to concrete steps being taken to eventually reduce corruption.

United Kingdom

See also: Demographics of United Kingdom, Economy of United Kingdom, Politics of United Kingdom, Culture of United Kingdom.

The British Empire was the first global power in the post Treaty of Westphalia era, and by its height in 1921 it held a quarter of the world's population and a third of its landmass as subjects to the British Crown. Its extent was so great that its influence is commonly referred to by historians as finding its peer only in the Roman Empire. However, the two decades subsequent to World War II saw most of The British Empire's colonies and influence disintegrate, most notably after the independence of India in 1947 and the 1956 Suez Crisis. The 1960s saw the Empire's African colonies quickly diminsh in scale as new countries were granted independence in rapid succession.

Today, the modern United Kingdom is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of independent sovereign states, directly descended from the British Empire. The UK also has close relationships with the fifteen other Commonwealth Realms, as they all share the same head of state.

Military power

The United Kingdom's close relationship with the United States is considered by spectators to be one of the principal sources of the United Kingdom's modern influence. Although the United States and United Kingdom have had a close military and political relationship since the mid 19th century, the codification of this alliance during World War I, World War II, and finally with the North Atlantic Treaty has engendered a closeness between the two countries.
The US Navy and the Royal Navy share a common pool of Trident missiles, and as such, are the only states to share Nuclear Weapons delivery systems.
The UK is the second-largest spender on military science, engineering and technology. It also has the second highest military expenditure in NATO and the third highest in the world. [5]
The UK is the world's second biggest arms exporter, behind the United States, with a market share of about 20%. BAE Systems, is also the largest defence contractor outside the United States. [6]
The UK is one of the five authorized Nuclear weapon states. Currently it is planning to update and replace its existing nuclear arsenal, with the building of new British designed warheads as its likely outcome.
The UK is the only Tier 1 member of the Joint Strike Fighter stealth fighter program and plans on replacing the Harrier V/STOL jet with the new stealthy fighter/attack planes. Its special status on this, the largest military program in history, sees it paying several billion dollars towards the project's development and the UK's BAE Systems' appointment as one of the primary sub-contractors for the program. It will receive the F-35B STOVL version for the Royal Navy and the RAF with the complete American technology, sensor and avionics package (export versions to other countries, even western allies, will receive a less sophisticated package).
The UK and US work closely in developing next generation military equipment, such as the UK's Future Infantry Soldier Technology and the US's Future Combat System. The UK and US share many similar technologies, arsenal pools and use common military components agreed upon by NATO standards, although they use different Main Battle Tanks (e.g. Challenger 2 MBT for the UK, M1A2 MBT for the US), different uniforms, and different assault rifles. There are efforts for further integration and this has been seen in the past in instances such as the implementation of British Chobham armour in both Challenger and Abrams tanks. The recent acquisition of the American defence contractor United Defense by BAE Systems could be interpreted as further evidence of future integration.
The British Armed Forces, deployed to over 80 countries, are one of the most powerful and comprehensive military forces in the World. It is considered the peer of the United States in most ways (training, experience, technology), and its global power projection capabilities are considered to be second only to those of the United States Armed Forces. The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the World in terms of gross tonnage, and is in charge of the United Kingdom's independent strategic nuclear arm, which consists of four SSBN's armed with Trident D5 SLBM's. This generally leads to the position of the United States on issues of global security to be nearly the same as that of the United Kingdom. Evidence of this can be seen in that many of the UN Security Council Resolutions on issues relating to the Global War on Terror and the Iraq War (including the famous Resolution 1441) were either written by the two countries in cooperation and jointly proposed, or solely proposed by the United Kingdom after co-authoring with the United States in situations when co-sponsorship would be politically complicated for potential signatories.

From a non-military perspective, American and British culture, politics and economics are also equally intertwined. Around one million Americans are employed by UK companies and the same number of British people are employed by US businesses. The UK is the largest foreign investor in the US while the US the largest foreign investor in the UK. While this role as a confidante of America and a mediator between the United States and the European Union brings it considerable global influence, it has also created political complications in recent years as global reaction to the 2003 Iraq War and the subsequent ongoing peacekeeping and stability operations has led to some dubious accusations that the UK is acting like the "51st State".

Cultural power

The United Kingdom's cultural influence is underpinned by the spread of the English Language around the globe, which is now the second-most widely spoken language worldwide. Historically, this language is a legacy of Britain's former empire, and it was Britain that spread it across the world through the British Empire. Today, the combined influence of the United States and the United Kingdom keep English as the primary language of world trade.

Political power

The modern United Kingdom, although it does not seek the resources to be the great power it once was, is still a major player on the world stage through its position as one of the most influential members of the European Union, its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and perhaps more importantly, its special relationship with the world's only superpower, the United States. As a member of the EU, it is seen as a strong proponent of trade liberalisation and a foreign policy that aligns the bloc closely with the United States. This has often put it into political conflict with France, which opposes both goals.

Economic power

The United Kingdom possesses the world's fourth largest economy[7].

The fact that the United Kingdom is no longer the great power that it was a century ago does not mean that its global influence has significantly diminished. Today, because of its position as a member of the European Union, the Commonwealth of Nations and NATO, its vigorous economy, its extensive military capabilities, its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and its special relationship with the United States, the UK can affect events on a global scale. Many political commentators see the coming test for the United Kingdom this century to be not whether it will continue to be an important player in regional and global affairs, but rather if it will continue to wield such power as a result of tilting closer to the United States, or closer to the European Union, or remaining as a moderating force between the two halves of the West.

References