Global Superpowers (HL IB Geography)

Exam Tip

Remember that BRICS countries have separate strengths and weaknesses that allow them to dominate in one or more areas of influence.

Case Study

• Military-Industrial Complex (MIC) describes the connection between a country's government, its military and the industry that supplies it, known as the defence industry

• The reach of a country's military is key to the level of power they have:

  • A global reach means that the military can be used to achieve geopolitical goals

• The size and power of the military are dependent on a number of factors, including:

  • The size and age of the population to maintain the size of the military

  • Defence spending on the military: personnel, technology and weapons

• Superpowers and emerging powers have:

  • Large military forces

  • Nuclear weapons

  • Export arms 

  • Influential roles in international military organisations such as NATO 

• The US Armed Forces is one of the world's largest and most technologically advanced military units

• It would not be able to maintain this without private defence contractors designing, testing, manufacturing, and implementing systems, weapons and vehicles for the government

• All this gives the US superiority over land, sea, and air (which includes space and communication)

• There is also a global US military presence, with overseas bases providing support, protection and training to other countries

• One-in-six US households has a family member involved in the MIC

• The US spends more on defence than China, India, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the UK combined

• In 2023, President Joe Biden allocated $816.7 billion to military defence, which was more than half the federal discretionary budget

  • This left public health, education, job training and environmental protection agencies competing for the remainder

• In 2020, the Pentagon awarded $75 billion in contracts to Lockheed Martin, which was more than the entire budgets of the State Department and International Development Agency

• It's estimated that the average US taxpayer spends $270 on education, $6 on renewable energy and $1087 on weapons contractors per year

Case Study

• Since 2000, China has been an emerging power and is identified as the main challenger to the USA's superpower status

• China has a large economic influence

  • It has the world's largest economy by purchasing power parity

  • But it remains below the US in GDP terms

    • US GDP per capita in 2022 was US$68,615 compared to US$21,804 in China

  • It is dubbed the 'world's factory,' and its manufacturing capabilities are unmatched due to its large population

  • China has invested in several regions, including Africa and Asia

  • China heavily invests in infrastructure

• China's geopolitical influence includes:

  • Being a permanent member of the UN Security Council allows China to wield influence by its veto power

  • China's involvement in regional forums like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation strengthens its local and global influence

  • It has launched initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to increase its political influence

  • China tends to stay out of global issues

  • China is not a democracy and relationships with other nations are not always positive

• China promotes its language and culture globally through developments such as the Confucius Institute

  • Chinese festivals, especially the Lunar New Year, and other worldwide celebrations

  • Chinese cinema and arts are increasing in global approval

  • Chinese foods are increasingly popular around the world

• China's military force is ranked third as the most powerful and has an overall advantage with its available workforce

  • China has the second-largest defence budget globally and has nuclear capabilities, but it is not always well equipped

  • It has limited military reach, with only one overseas base

  • The navy rarely leaves the Indo-Pacific region

• As China continues to dominate, it must address challenges such as its ageing population, environmental issues and complex geopolitical circumstances such as territorial disputes