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Polarity/ Superpower/ Great Power

What is meant by multipolarity, bipolarity and unipolarity?

• A unipolar system is where one “pole” or polar actor is identified as the predominant power in the world. It need not be a state but a group of states. An example of a unipolar power is the Holy Roman Empire.
• In a bipolar system two powers control the majority of global power. This was said to be the case in the global war where power surrounded two ‘poles’ – the Soviet Union and the United States. The system was said not to be organized in only terms of power but ideology as well.
• In a multipolar system 3 or more powers are identified as the predominant actors. The post-cold world war is claimed by many to be multipolar, with various powers controlling different areas, however in economic and military terms the US is the strongest.

In what ways is international politics now unipolar?

• Most analysts believe that the world post Cold War is unipolar because the “United States is the only true superpower with global assets in all dimensions of power” (Understanding International Conflicts by Joseph Wye Junior)
• The USA has unrivalled military and nuclear power. The Golf War is often heralded as the moment when the USA truly showed its unipolar hegemony.
• “Military power is largely unipolar”
• However the Gulf War also is said to show that although the world could be unipolar the US doesn’t wish it to be so.

Is international politics now multipolar?

• Some analysts believe the collapse of the Cold War has left the world multipolar.
• The actors named with the most power are the US, Japan, EU, China and Russia.
• The easiest area in which to see a multipolar world is that of economy. The USA, EU and Japan are the most economically strong powers in the world, and their continuing growth and predominance within international systems suggests a multipolar world.
• If looked at in economical terms there “is a tripolar distribution of power” (Understanding International Conflicts by Joseph Wye Junior)

What do we mean by ‘great power’ and ‘superpower’? What are the differences between ‘great power’ and ‘superpower’?

• “Great powers are generally those who can maintain their security independently.
• The great power/ superpower system refers to the ranking of states primarily in terms of military and economic capabilities
• In addition to military and economic strength, great powers normally have global if not universal interests and are usually characterised as possessing the political will to pursue them.
• Example of a great power - France ¬¬
• It is “a nation having great economical, political and military force”.
• It has the 4th largest nuclear weaponry in the world
• It has the 5th largest economy
• It has a large influence in Africa, due to colonialisation, and in Europe where it is a founding member of the EU. Also has a global influence due to being on the Security Council of the UN.

• Fox in 1944 defined a superpower as a “great power plus great mobility of power”
• The superpower category can be seen as merely a replacement term for the great power category. Removing any state that falls under either of the two terms would constitute a fundamental change of international politics.
• A superpower has great veto power to stop undesirable occurrences globally
• The term superpower denoted the emergence of a new class of power which is clearly superior in economic and military powers over the classic European great powers.
• Example of a superpower – USA
• The “United States is the only true superpower with global assets in all dimensions of power” (Understanding International Conflicts by Joseph Wye Junior)
• It has the world’s strongest military and economy
• Has the largest nuclear weaponry
• Has global influence through NATO, the UN, and organisations such as the World Bank

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Original content by joker13na.