Everybody wants to rule the world
Historians and economists have coined
phrases to describe the degree of influence a
state or country has internationally. Listed
by increasing amount of influence, a country
can be a middle power, regional power, great
power, super power or hyper power. Some
of these terms have not made it into mainstream
media because some countries may
overlap into multiple categories and keep
changing in time. Nonetheless, this is an
attempt to categorize countries into their
influential powers on a global and regional
scale.
Middle powers are a little difficult to define and there is much ambiguity in the phrase's meaning. An Italian diplomat, Giovanni Botero, first used the term "middle power" to describe a state which "has sufficient strength and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others." There is no specific way to label a country as such because, considering the definition given by Botero, any country could fall into this category. Some examples of countries which have widely been recognized as middle power by historians and academic include Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. They are all sustainable by themselves with their vast reserves of natural resources and stable economy.
A regional power is a state which has influence on its neighbouring countries. In South America, it would be Brazil, primarily due to its vast territory and economy. In Europe, it would be France and the United Kingdom due to their historical influence leadership in that region. In Asia, it would be China and India with their booming economy and those economies' ravenous appetite. In North America, due to the massive economy, the United States leads the region.
A country that is considered a great power has influence on a global scale due to its military, political and economic resources. Some countries which used to be great powers at some point in history include the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire and the Persian Empire. Some examples on the list today would include China, France, U.K., Russia and U.S. These five countries also have permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, where they are charged with the role of preserving world peace and security. Additionally, they also have the power to take action on behalf of all U.N. member states when they feel a current event may impede their goal.
A super power dominates the world, or, to put it more aptly, it can dominate the world. It has military and political power to influence its will on the world. Currently, the U.S. is recognized as a superpower, but many academics feel the country's status is waning and predict that countries such as China, European Union, Brazil and India may fall into this category as their economic prowess grows.
Finally, there is the elusive and rarely used term, hyper power. Although it can be considered purely theoretical, there have been empires that have come close to it. A hyper power can be characterized and defined as a dominant force that rules the world. We are talking world domination, and the British Empire in the 1940, is the closest to come to this definition. The Mongol Empire is a close second by land rule, but the Persian Empire literally ruled half the people on the planet in 480 BC (more than any other empire by population). The reason this definition is hardly used and so difficult to attain is because many nations have tried but none have been successful.
After the World Wars, accounting for the massive death toll and human rights issues plaguing the world, countries joined forces to resolve international conflicts and vowed to avoid the catastrophic effects of war. With the former League of Nations and current United Nations, the focus was taken away from one nation trying to rule the world and more attention was rightfully given to global peace and humanitarian efforts.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Middle powers are a little difficult to define and there is much ambiguity in the phrase's meaning. An Italian diplomat, Giovanni Botero, first used the term "middle power" to describe a state which "has sufficient strength and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others." There is no specific way to label a country as such because, considering the definition given by Botero, any country could fall into this category. Some examples of countries which have widely been recognized as middle power by historians and academic include Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. They are all sustainable by themselves with their vast reserves of natural resources and stable economy.
A regional power is a state which has influence on its neighbouring countries. In South America, it would be Brazil, primarily due to its vast territory and economy. In Europe, it would be France and the United Kingdom due to their historical influence leadership in that region. In Asia, it would be China and India with their booming economy and those economies' ravenous appetite. In North America, due to the massive economy, the United States leads the region.
A country that is considered a great power has influence on a global scale due to its military, political and economic resources. Some countries which used to be great powers at some point in history include the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire and the Persian Empire. Some examples on the list today would include China, France, U.K., Russia and U.S. These five countries also have permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, where they are charged with the role of preserving world peace and security. Additionally, they also have the power to take action on behalf of all U.N. member states when they feel a current event may impede their goal.
A super power dominates the world, or, to put it more aptly, it can dominate the world. It has military and political power to influence its will on the world. Currently, the U.S. is recognized as a superpower, but many academics feel the country's status is waning and predict that countries such as China, European Union, Brazil and India may fall into this category as their economic prowess grows.
Finally, there is the elusive and rarely used term, hyper power. Although it can be considered purely theoretical, there have been empires that have come close to it. A hyper power can be characterized and defined as a dominant force that rules the world. We are talking world domination, and the British Empire in the 1940, is the closest to come to this definition. The Mongol Empire is a close second by land rule, but the Persian Empire literally ruled half the people on the planet in 480 BC (more than any other empire by population). The reason this definition is hardly used and so difficult to attain is because many nations have tried but none have been successful.
After the World Wars, accounting for the massive death toll and human rights issues plaguing the world, countries joined forces to resolve international conflicts and vowed to avoid the catastrophic effects of war. With the former League of Nations and current United Nations, the focus was taken away from one nation trying to rule the world and more attention was rightfully given to global peace and humanitarian efforts.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
