A world power is a state that has the ability to head its influence on a global area. On account of this, a state must have some skills and some qualities for being a world power. If we can mention about one state as a world power, this state must have four axes of power which are political, economic, military and cultural.
Political scientists define power in the international political system as the potential to influence other states. Such potential derives from a mix of elements, both tangible and intangible. These elements include natural resources, industrial capacity, military forces, population size, and popular support for the government. Economic capability determines the military potential of individual states. For this reason, the best single indicator of a state’s great-power potential may be its total gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the total value of goods and services produced in a given time period. The GDP provides a rough indicator of an economy’s size, technological level and wealth. (Howard, Asistant Professor, School of International Service, American University, 2008) These qualities point out that only United States of America (USA) is actually a world player. Especially after Cold War and collapse of Soviet Union (USSR), USA became a absolute global actor in the world. About dominance of USA Zbigniew Brzezinski told that “Hegemony is as old as mankind. But America's current global supremacy is distinctive in the rapidity of its emergence, in its global scope, and in the manner of its exercise. In the course of a single century, America has transformed itself and has also been transformed by international Dynamics from a country relatively isolated in the Western Hemisphere into a power of unprecedented worldwide reach and grasp.” (Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard, April 1997)
On the other hand, there are considerable rising powers in some areas of the world. Regional power is a state which has power in own geography. These states have not a huge hegemony in international system. I think, we may call them as soft power, because regional powers generally have political, economic and cultural powers, not effective military force. For example, European Union (EU) is an important actor in the political system. But EU mostly exert own soft power like economic and cultural operations. Also EU’s certain members have a major position in global politics. And members of union have an important economic and cultural relations with other regions. But this superiority is not operative as union. Despite EU is a world power, it couldn’t establish a determinative hegemony in the international arena.
Also, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) states are important regional powers. And we can define them as “regional hegemons”. (Myers, Regional Hegemons: Threat Perception and Strategic Response, 1991) BRIC states are potential candidate country for status of a world power. Also Mexico and South Africa can be counted in this group. These states have a great growth rate and a lot regional cooperations, organizations. But it is not sufficient to be a world power. These regional powers must be more effective in international organizations, in direction of international politics, in international economy relations. For example, Turkey which is also a regional power, struggle to be represented more in global scale. Certainly, the end of the Cold War have created many opportunities and space for the emergence of new regional powers. For example, Brazil has actively pursued a policy of greater engagement, both economic and political with its neighbours. Brazil has struggled to improve relations with its neighbours to work up South America’s economic and political integration. With this actions, Brazil wants to ensure its regional hegemony to get skills of world power. Also Brazil has played an increasingly important role in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and also has led the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti since 2004. During the last twenty years, Brazil’s presence and influence in the world has grown significantly. (Bethell, Brazil: regional power, global power, Open Democracy website, 2010) Therefore Brazil has a huge influence in the own region and this state maybe would try to pass from status of soft power to status of hard power.
Finally, regional powers shape the composition of policy in a regional area with actually depending on world powers’ policy. Characteristically, regional powers have capacities which are effective in the their own region but not have abilities as a world power at a global scale yet. The regional powers should try to upgrade their positions according to conjucture for acquiring character of global power.
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