International Power Ranking

The current international classification of lesser, middle, greater, and super powers is to limited. I fall into the camp that adds a new catagory- hyper power. This divides the world in to 5 categories that are more objectively compared with one another.

The term Hyperpower was coined in France.


Placing the US into the Hyper Power catagory means the term Superpower can be more readily ascribed to several factions who quite frankly by themselves have more power than any nation in history before 1945.

Hyperpower

Global conventional ground force projection, hegemonic power in at least 1 of these 5 broad areas: Cultural-Economic/Industrial-Energy-Military-Political, and all super power categories.

USA*Dominant in 4 hegemonic areas: Cultural, Economic/Industry, Military, and Political.

Superpower(having all of the following)

1 trillion USD economy (actual) not PPP
100,000,000 population base or greater.
Credible space program.
Blue water capable navy.
Nuclear weapons.
P5 seat on the UN Security Council.
Modern air force and aerospace industry.

Russia Has near hegemonic energy influence over Europe.
China Rapidly becoming an non-military industrial hegemon.
India
EU
India and the EU are emerging/potential Superpowers with potential hegemonic traits like the Euro (Economic) and Bollywood(culture).

Great Powers (most of the above list- only missing 1-2 categories)

England (Population)* Eventually faces loss of P5 seat to EU if the EU federalizes.
France (Population)*Eventually faces loss of P5 seat to EU if the EU federalizes.
Japan (Nukes, P5 Seat)
India (P5 seat)* India is a P5 contender.
Brazil (Nukes, P5 seat)* Brazil is a P5 contender.


Middle Powers (missing 3-6)

Iran (Nukes, Blue Water Navy, Population, Economy, P5 Seat)
Turkey (Nukes, Blue Water Navy, Population, Economy, P5 seat, Space program)
Israel (Blue Water Navy, Population, Economy, -P5 Seat)
Pakistan (Blue Water Navy, Economy, P5 Seat)
Egypt (Nukes, Population, P5 Seat, Blue Water Navy, Economy, Space program)
Taiwan (Nukes, P5 Seat, Population, Space program, Economy)
Mexico (Space program, Aerospace Industry, Nukes, Blue Water Navy, P5 seat)
Spain (P5 Seat, Nukes, Population)
South Korea (P5 Seat, Nukes, Population)
Germany (Nukes, P5 Seat, Population)


Lesser Powers (are missing 7 or more of the categories)

South Africa *destroyed existing nuclear weapons.

Categories

Blue Water Capable Navy, having a naval force capable of acting in a decisive manner far from the nations own shores (1000Km plus) with frigate sized or larger warships.

Credible Space Program, having launched at least one sophisticated commercial, scientific, or military satellite and having a dedicated space agency.

Global Ground Force Projection, being able to sustain 1/4 million military personnel (collective) outside the nations border for a significant period of time measured in years.

Hegemonic Power, being the single most import actor in a given area, one that the rest of the world generally conforms to (soft power) or fears/aligns with (hard power).


Modern Air force and Aerospace Industry, having at least 4th generation fighters and the ability to produce at least some sort of jet powered or rotary winged aircraft.

Nuclear Weapons, having a credible deterrent force of weaponized nuclear devices and delivery systems.

Trillion Dollar Economy, having a real GDP of at least 1 trillion US dollars, not measured in PPP. This is likely to change to the Euro at some point as that currency continues its ascendant rise.

P5 Seat, having a seat on the permanent UN Security Council.

Notes

Nations are not judged by areas where they still lag behind (down points) but by up points. Thus things like access to health care, literacy, homelessness etc are not factors in the rankings. Only those things that can be objectively compared to other states and that are in or can be considered to be in direct competition to other states are considered.

Thread moved because it pretains to World power and is not specfic to China.

bd popeye super moderator

You forgot the ability to control money. Japan and China has this in spades.

Another is technology, especially information technology.

I'm not really sure how Bollywood got there. The greatest challenge to American pop culture is from Japan, thanks to Anime. That's why Pokemon, the Transformers, and Naruto are more recognizable than Superman or Mickey Mouse. And Japan succeeds in different levels. There is the impact on electronic gaming, thanks to Sony and Nintendo, with franchises like Final Fantasy and Zelda. J-pop around the world is on the rise, especially in Asia, though not much of an impact yet in the US. The Japanese influence is also creeping up in movies. not in ninjas and stuff like that, but in bizarre movies like the Grudge and the Ring.

Second to Japan is Greater China (PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan). There has been a profound impact Chinese have made in movies, a reason why outside of the English world, a number of Chinese actors have become internationally recognizable, starting with Bruce Lee, but continuing with Jet Li, Jacky Chan, Michelle Yeo and Chow Yun Fat. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the highest rated ever box office foreign movie in the US. Chinese action movies, not just with Kung fu, but also in non martial arts movies like Hard Boiled (perhaps the greatest action movie ever made!) literally changed the concept and cinematography of action movies in Hollywood now, and you can see the influences in movies like the Matrix Trilogy. HK movies and Taiwan soap opera are also very pervasive in Asia, and in the last few years, we have also seen increasing number of PRC originated soap dramas. Hong Kong (C pop or Cantonese Pop) and Taiwan pop music are also very pervasive in Asia though has yet to penetrate the West.

Third is Korea, and the reason for this is the rise of a gaming industry that can challenge both the US and Japan. especially in the area of massive multiplayer gaming, e.g. games like Ragnarok Online and Lineage. Korea is also the animation center of the world, since they can both the Simipsons and Japanese anime. K-pop is also going around fast all over Asia, though not yet in the West. Very popular lately in any Asian TV is Korean soap opera, if you really like a good cry.

I believe Spain should be added to Middle Power category,owing to the fact that it is a trillion doller economy,one of the European quintet,also the fact that the Armada Espanol is the second largest in Europe,in tonnage terms after the Royal Navy, and posess's advanced US equipment such as Tomahawk LACM,AEGIS system etc.Add to this the fact that Spain is the only European country other than UK that is activaly increasing the size of its fleet & augmenting its capablities with purchases such as s80 submarine and substantialy increasing its sealift capabilities.In terms of Land Forces the Spanish Army is prob one the most modern in the world,def one the most modern in Europe.
Would welcome informed opinion on this post,as my technical knowledge is limited

I think space should also be a factor to be qualified as a power.

Thus boils down roughly to

Military Power
Political Power
Economic Power
Information Power
Technology Power
Space Power
Nuclear Power
Cultural Power

With the exception of agreeing with some of crobato's caveats, I rather tend to agree with zraver. His categories are as pertinent as they are comprehensive, and the rankings of national power that can be determined by said are spot-on. I don't really have anything else to add to what zraver has said here; I think he pretty much has already said it all.

I will examine Spain.

The PLAN is not a blue-water navy. It may have vessels that could carry out blue-water operations, but that's it.

Generally your list is rather arbitrary. For example, why does a country have to have a population of 100 million+ to be a superpower? In the past the UK could be regarded as one and it had a much smaller population. Alternatively why 100 million+ and not 200 million+?

As to a space programme, what is "credible" and why is it relevant? A lot of people would say space programmes are at best scientific (i.e. not super-power related) and at worse a big international penis-waving competition. When we get to the point where countries can successfully exploit space for real gain, it will be a sign of status. But not before.

Personally I don't think China or Russia are superpowers. Whether the US is a "hyperpower" or a "superpower", it is the only one. Everyone else are at best either potential superpowers or great powers.

I think space programmes may have been included as they give,thru spy satelites, the ability to see your opponents movements and plan accordingly,they also enable data linking,communications etc.A nation which has control of its own satelites would have a considerable advantage over a nation which is reliant on other nations satelites and launching facilities.
Question I would like to ask in relation to the original post is I wasnt aware Brazil was a nuclear power (and some of the others),when did this happen?

Indeed, zraver should not use the term ´nuke power´or ´nuclear force´regarding countries like Japan, Germany and Brazil.

Obviously all three are capable of mastering the nuclear fuel cycle with Japan even developing a plutonium breeding capacity but Japan, Germany and Brazil have renounced their right for producing nuclear weapons (...though Brazil's legal situation appears not to be as clear as in the case of the two defeated axis powers of WW II). However from a purely technical point of view every state with enough HEU or weapons grade PU (~5 kg Pu, ~15 kg HEU) should be able to produce a crude nuclear device within a couple of months.

Notwithstanding calling Japan, Germany and Brazil ´nuclear threshold powers´would be a more accurate description of their current status. :coffee: