Superpowerdom, a poll and a query

[KillerMuffin]

I've read it several times here and in several different journalists blatherings in the past few weeks. That the US is the world's only superpower, we're a hyperpower. Yada Yada.

To me, it's an irritating appellation. It implies that the US is above the rest of the world and that we have the responsibility of showing the lessor countries "the way." I happen to think that not only do other countries manage to do things quite well on their own, that they pretty much could give two hoots about the US's take on things on a domestic basis. Foreign relations are obviously concerned with the US as well as everyone else out there or it wouldn't be foreign relations.

When I think of Germany, England, Italy, Austrailia, Japan, China, Sweden, or any number of other industrialized nations I think of them and their citizens on equal footing with myself and my country. I don't think we're any more or less important than any other country out there. In fact our economy has become so intertwined with the economies of several other countries that fluctuations in their markets are felt domestically. Or so I've been told.

Do you think there are any superpowers left in the world? What defines a superpower? How many of them are there, if any? Which nation(s) would be a superpower in your estimation? What's your take on the whole concept of superpowerdom?

 

[riff]

The US is the only superpower

While China might be considered as a "rival," they do not hog the world stage the way the United States does (do not play so significant a role in international affairs).

When I mean superpower, I am not talking about a coalition of countries or anything like that. I am talking about one nation with a very heavy hand.

Just because the United States is the only superpower does not mean that it is totally unchecked in all it does. It does, however, kind of make you nostalgic for the Cold War days when we had to reconsider every idea based on, "Yeah, but if we do that, what will the Soviets do?" I would never want to go back to that, but at least the Soviet Union's presence forced the USA to examine and re-examine and re-examine what it did. I don't know that we tread so carefully now as we did then, and that is at times scarey.

It's not a question of importance or greatness. Or who is the best country. You asked about the USA being a "superpower." There's the answer- it's about power and influence. No single nation has the power or influence that the USA does at this time.

Being a superpower has nothing to do with cultural superiority or anything else along those invidious lines.

Most of my foreign friends (Russian or English) think that the USA is a wonderful, but often arrogant, country. I have no problem agreeing with their assessment.

 

[Weird Harold]

I think that the term "superpower" is a primarily measure of military power. In those therms, the US is the only "superpower" with the ability to "project force" to any point on the globe.

Russia and the former soviet states still have the nuclear arsenal to match the US, but it's no longer under a unified control.

China has the manpower, but doesn't have a realistic ability to transport it outside of their borders. They have some nuclear capability but their missile technology doesn't allow accurate long range delivery (yet.)

Europe has the manpower and transport as well as the nuclear capabilities to be a superpower, but like the former Soviet Union, the control is fragmented.

There are other kinds of "superpowers" where the US doesn't stand alone, or even at the top of the heap. Japan is probably the economic superpower since they own much of the USA's economic power base as well as being a world financial power on their own.

However, in the context you hear the term the most often, without qualifiers like "economic superpower", it refers to military capability, and the USA stands alone in that category -- for now.

 

[lavender]

 

[Cheyenne]

Hey, how come I just voted that the USA is the only superpower and I'm from the US, but there are only two of us who did so? The comments seem to be supporting that selection, but where are the votes?

 

[Harpoon]

I guess it depends on your defenition of super power. I think any country with the ability to obliterate the rest of the world (read "nuclear capability") should be considered a super power. Thats why I voted no. I am not from the USA as you can see.

 

[doctor_insanus]

Just an arrogant Yank...

Yeah, we're the one true superpower! So...

Eat us!

China? Japan? Russia? A unified Europe?

Bah! Pretenders to the throne, every one! Maybe we are increasingly dependent on the rest of the world. So? What happens if we collapse? Say hello to the next Dark Ages!

Admit you, you all love us. Somewhere, deep within your soul... there's a little American crying to get out.

Throws on his combat gear and waits for the bombs to fall