Talk:Superpower

Removed: But has various deficiencies in the healthcare sector.

I've removed the line 'But has various deficiencies in the healthcare sector.' in the table comparing the Soviet Union and the United States, as this can be seen as a political statement and is controversial. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.184.25.240 (talk) 10:31, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Needs to be updated

This article seems very biased towards USA, implying that it is the biggest super power yet how can that be in the amount of debt they are in? Please update. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cairo9o9 (talk • contribs) 03:47, 12 October 2010 (UTC)

And since when is debt the sole criterion of superpower status? There are areas where the US is the single most dominant nation and there are areas where it has fallen from dominance, overall it is STILL the largest superpower. --Khajidha (talk) 20:33, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Cold War heading

It lists in the military section the US Navy was larger than the next 13 countries navies combined. This is false. It's true today but not during the Cold War. I've checked the sources and they are post Cold War figures. This should be updated. I did try updating it but was accused of vandalism! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Badassbab (talk • contribs) 23:59, 14 October 2010 (UTC)

Asperger's

The article dealing with an extremely important political concept begins with: "are you sure you're not here to read about comic books?" Keep on truckin', Wikipedia. You're still really unimpressive. 96.228.30.201 (talk) 04:45, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

I did a search using my browser's "find" function (Ctrl+f in Chrome and Firefox) for "comic", and found nothing. However, the article is unprotected so if you had found anything like that the solution would have been for you to edit the page and fix it - instead of editing this page to ask someone else to fix it ;-) Really unimpressive, huh?! TFOWR 09:33, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

The US is the 3rd largest country, not China.

USA: 9629091 square k/m China:9596960 square k/m

http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/world_statistics_by_area.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_total_area

The only way to make PRC number 3 is to include Taiwan and other regions it claims as it's territory. No countries recognize this claim, so hence it should not be counted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.114.227 (talk) 17:09, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

A huge majority of countries recognise Taiwan as part of China. Area is a tricky issue, you have to deal with China's extraneous areas (ROC, Spratly, india disputes) and the USA's territories etc. What you include in the calculations determines which one is larger really. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 17:16, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

All the major countries in the world recognize Taiwan as a part of China, unless you are some random Carribean island, African, or Oceanic countries... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.81.233.159 (talk) 17:42, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

China: It's spoken of as a superpower

Recently, it's hard to find a news article which does NOT refer to the People's Republic of China as a superpower, rising superpower or economic superpower. China has thus been classified as a superpower. Whether it actually is a superpower or not remains open to debate, however I think it's best that we get that opinion somewhere at the top of the page in some form. — Preceding unsigned comment added by NyuclearTrigger (talk • contribs) 10:56, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

Most academic sources on superpowerdom state that the United States is the world's sole superpower from 1991 to present. Many academic sources state that China is likely to become a superpower over the next decades as it develops. China is still a developing country and its GDP and military budget are still far smaller than the United States'. The article already states that China is a potential superpower. If the article were to state that China is already a superpower then it would make the article a wp:Crystal ball, which Wikipedia is not. News articles are often not considered to be reliable sources on Wikipedia and as a result academic sources take precedence over media sources. The media frequently abuses the term superpower in order to hype stories, using the term when referring to such countries as Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Venezuala and so on. Furthermore, please note you must follow wp:BRD rules and that continued engaging in edit warring rather than gaining a consensus for your changes amongst users here is likely to result in your account being blocked. Quite vivid blur (talk) 00:46, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

Ah, you finally responded. :P What evidence do you have that the media abuses the term superpower? I have only ever seen, for instance, Venezuela (correct spelling) referred to as a superpower by the leftist fringe. Russia is another story. I believe that Russia remains a superpower. It can squeeze Europe economically, march into Georgia and what not. It has more than enough nuclear weapons to obliterate the United States several times over. Anything of that magnitude is definitely a superpower, but this discussion is not about Russia. It's about China. China itself denies being a superpower and claims it does not wish to become one. However, China would appear to have no choice.

Military

China has the largest number of active troops of any country in the world. Its land army is more or less capable of facing that of the United States. Aside from that, their air force is inferior, and their naval capacity is not even worth mentioning. They make up for this somewhat in the fact that their conscription base is larger than the U.S. population. If push ever came to shove in a conventional war, China would be able to defend its sovereignty. March into Washington though? No chance.

Economy

The Chinese and American economies are interdependent and China wields vast economic leverage across the world. The Chinese economy has not caught up with my country yet, but it is still an immense power.

Diplomacy

China enjoys the loyalty of Russia as an ally, as well as Russia's allies through the SCO. Other countries (such as Venezuela) maintain close ties to China. China holds a permanent United Nations Security Council seat and has rising influence within international organizations. The United States often watches its step around China, not wanting to provoke it. An example of this would be U.S. weariness at responding to North Korea's deranged behavior.

In closing

It's suitable to include a line of text about those persons who claim China is a superpower. China may be a developing country with domestic problems, but it is still an extremely powerful country. Its international weight is much greater than Great Powers such as Britain or France. Though China may deny that it is a superpower, and though China does not possess aircraft carriers or (active) stealth fighters, China is considered a peer by the United States (remember the G2). A potential compromise would be to refer to it as a "rising" superpower instead of a superpower outright, since it's definitely not a true equal to the United States at this point. Adding a link to the G2's article at the bottom of the page would be a good additional step. (On a side note, there are currently no links at all. Perhaps that should change?)

NyuclearTrigger (talk) 16:48, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

You need only perform a Google search for "Iran" and "Superpower" to see how heavily the term is abused by the media. You concede in your opening paragraph that the term superpower is abused by the media, in this instance by leftists regarding Venezuela. Russia may like to be nostalgic and believe itself to still be a superpower by squeezing former Soviet countries occasionally, such as Georgia and Ukraine, but Russia's empire in Europe and the former Soviet Union is now firmly limited only to Belarus and Armenia, with all others either a part of NATO and the European Union or allied to the United States.

Military

Many countries maintain a military of 1 million or more, as can been seen on the List of countries by number of troops article. Military power is not gaged by manpower, particularly in an era of hi-tech military equipment. The United States' military accounts for 43% of global military expenditure and maintains ~800 overseas military installations, whilst China maintains none overseas.

Economy

China's economy is only slightly larger than Japan's and the Chinese yuan is not a reserve currency, whereas the United States' economy comprises 25% of the global economy and the US dollar comprises 65% of global currency reserves.

Diplomacy

Russia and China are only allies of convenience, often distrusting each other as much as they do the United States. NATO, unlike the SCO, consists of countries which are actually allies and is by far the most powerful military alliance in the world, with the combined military expenditure of its members acounting for over 70% of global military expenditure. China's possession of a permanent UN Security Council seat is no different than other great powers such as the United Kingdom and France. Of course China exerts a significant influence over North Korea but only because the country is on its border, whilst it wields less influence over countries not on its borders, such as Iran or Libya, than what the United Kingdom or France wield.

In closing

The characteristics you have described are that of a great power, which China is, and not that of a superpower, which China isn't. You appear to be confusing the characteristics of a great power with those of a superpower. Anyone could argue that particular characteristics of one of the great powers in fact makes that country a superpower, for example if stealth fighters and aircraft carriers make a country a superpower, as you appeared to suggest, then one could argue Italy is a superpower as it possesses aircraft carriers and will soon purchase F-35s. I suggest you read the great power article. In addition, our personal opinions are wp:Original research and only material supported by reliable academic sources can be included as content in the article. The article already states that China is a potential superpower and I don't in anyway dispute China is a rising, emerging or potential superpower and the majority of academic sources support this. However, I do dispute that China is already a superpower and the majority of academic sources, along with other users who reverted your changes, agree with this. Discussions regarding which countries are superpowers have been voiced on this talk page in the past and the consensus which has been forged on this talk page over time is unlikely to change so long as most academic sources state the United States is the only superpower. Quite vivid blur (talk) 23:58, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

I've included a See also section with a link to the Group of Two. Quite vivid blur (talk) 00:19, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

That modification essentially does it for the next few years. NyuclearTrigger (talk) 12:54, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS SUGGESTION: The popular press has made China the most 'fashionable' potential Superpower, so I believe this merits special distinction, rather than clumping China up with Brazil, India, Russia, and EU as potential Superpower. One sentence will suffice.

The Land of the Free?

I believe that this article is VERY biased towards the USA. I think that this article is undoubtedly the work of an American, and a patriotic one at that. I think the US is trying to hold on to its superpower status that it lost long ago and is still trying to lead the world. I'm not saying that America's not a great country or anything, because it is, but where would it be without the influence of Europe and other continents and countries. Right now, you may be thinking that 'Oh, that was hundreds of years ago' or 'Oh, The USA is still the only superpower in the world' but it's not. I think America should take a step back and actually look at themselves for a change. The American Government is quick to criticise others, though not so quick to criticise themselves, not so quick to go out and help others, but quick to tell them what to do from a back seat. I believe that a 'Superpower' status should be judged by the cultural, political and economic influence on the world, not just how much land its got or how big it's armies are. Yes, I am British, but even if I wasn't British, and I actually would, I would think that the UK, European Union, Japan, China and Australia are the superpowers, and maybe the US should come in at around fifth or sixth. They are in debt, the Government, lets admit it, isn't the best one in the world and yes, it might be the most famous country in the world, but it certainly isn't the most culturally influencing, rather one of the most culturally influenced. The Hamburger? I believe that's from Scotland. Mcdonalds? I think you'll find Kroc was Czech and the McDonald Brothers were of Scottish origin. Exscuse me for a moment, I am trying to think of things that America is famous for that aren't collected with food.

Oh yes, your 'Forefather' George Washington was English.

Oh, and may I be so rude to ask, how many of you are actually descended from the original Native American Tribes. How many? One? (And no I don't mean 'My granfathers auntie's sons father's uncle's great aunt was a third Cherokee!)And how many of you are descended from foriegners? Oh, more than I imagined!

78.148.115.59 (talk) 17:25, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

The United States is a superpower because it has immense cultural, political, diplomatic and economic influence and because it has the world's largest navy, the world's most technologically advanced air force and so on. Britain's issue is that frankly, it does not have the political will to challenge the U.S. It is content with its current place. France, France has independent security commitments and allies throughout Africa as well as the largest overseas territories of any old European colonial power. It would be very easy for France to step up, but again, they're happy where they are. Japan is large, has a large economy, but would be hard pressed to find allies or a definable sphere of influence. AUSTRALIA? Let's not even address that one.

China is a superpower because it is a recognized rival of the United States with a gigantic population, a gigantic and rising economy, a gigantic military and the political will to face down America.

NyuclearTrigger (talk) 19:44, 3 March 2011 (UTC)