Superpower

A superpower is a state with the ability to influence events or project power on a global scale. In modern terms, this may imply an entity with a huge economy, a large population, and strong armed forces, including air power and satellite capabilities, and a huge arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

Origin

The term superpower appeared as a neologism in 1922. Prior to World War II, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the British Empire were sometimes labeled as superpowers, although the much more common term was great powers.

When after 1945 the Cold War developed, it became clear that only two indisputable great powers remained: the United States and the Soviet Union. Superpowers became the name given to these Great Powers; differentiating the bipolar situation from the previous multipolar world. This situation lasted until the political collapse of the Soviet Union circa 1991.

If understood proper the term "Superpower" signifies only a bipolar situation. Therefore the existence of three, four or more "Superpowers" is not imaginable; in such a context the proper term to use would be "Great Power". Journalists and the media often do not respect such a distinction and therefore imagine situations where the USA, the EU, China and India all at the same time yield "Superpower status".

United States

The United States headed NATO, commonly known as the Western Bloc or the First World before the Cold War. In the post-Cold War era, the United States could be considered the world's sole remaining superpower. The enormous gap in military and economic power between the United States and other individual countries prompts some analysts to label the United States as a hyperpower. Because of the huge concentration of power in one state, some analysts have occasionally drawn analogy to a Pax Americana, with the United States as the guarantor of world peace and a mediator in disputes between other states. This is a direct reference to the Pax Britannica and the Pax Romana of the past, when Great Britain and the Roman Empire, respectively, were dominant powers deeply involved in the security of surrounding nations. This view is not universally held, nor easily defined. Others have a more negative view of the United States and see it not as a guarantor of peace but as an imperialist power imposing its will on other states.

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union was the United States' superpower rival during the Cold War. The Soviet Union was not just a superpower rival, but an ideological rival too, representing the ideology of Communism in opposition to the capitalism of the west. The Soviet Union headed the Warsaw Pact and was commonly known as the Eastern Bloc or the Second World.

Superpowers in history

Although the term superpower is a recent one, the word has been retrospectively applied to previous military powers. The Roman Empire covered most of Europe, North Africa & Asia Minor. Imperial China had the world's largest navy, a record that has yet to be broken. The Mongol Empire spanned from southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. It was said "The sun never sets on the British Empire." During the Siglo de Oro of Spain had possession of Italy, Germany, The Netherlands and many colonies in the Americas. After gaining independence from Spain the Netherlands empire had territories all over the globe. At various times during its history France had the largest military in the world, with colonies in western Africa, North and South America and southeast Asia.

Potential superpowers

Countries which some analysts predict could achieve superpower status in the coming decades:

China, which has the world's largest population and the fastest growing major economy in the world (which ranks 2nd in PPP in 2004)
The European Union, if counted as a single unit would already have the largest economy in the world. It also has the largest number of military forces of the world if counted as one. Another important point is that the EU already has a tremendous cultural, political and economical attraction for surrounding states. Therefore potentially powerful states like Turkey or Ukraine could join the EU one day.

But the EU at the moment is still too politically and militarily fragmented to be considered as a single power. Achieving superpower status would therefore depend on further progress in European integration.

India, which has a population of over a billion, nuclear weapons, the world's 3rd largest military and 4th largest airforce, as well as a thriving economy (4th largest in PPP)
Brazil, which has a large population, and could potentially form the core of a united South America
Russia, the most powerful of the countries of the former Soviet Union, maintains the largest nuclear stockpile in the world and possesses a huge conventional arsenal and a plentiful supply of natural resources. But achieving superpower status would be thinkable only if Russia could restore its former empire in some form (for example through an economic union) because Russia`s population alone would be to small otherwise. After the events of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine a restoration of the empire seems extremly unlikely.

Superpowers are also the fictional superhuman abilities that distinguish most superheroes such as Superman and supervillains such as Magneto from ordinary people. Typical superpowers include superhuman strength, speed, or stamina; the ability to fly; or abilities such as X-ray vision.