United States as a World Superpower
Ashley Torgerson
Dr. Brown
International Relations
2nd May, 2012
United States as a World Superpower The rising to the status of world super power does not happen overnight. To explore the journey to the top, we must recognize the struggles and obstacles that were overcome. As Americans we can proudly say that we live in a country with globally recognized supremacy. As stated earlier, it was not an easy title to obtain. Looking back throughout history we can see specific examples of how we began our rise to power and what it has taken to preserve our power. Some of our more recent history has shown that many people are questioning how much longer we will be able to retain this power. I however feel strongly that America has the ability to remain a world superpower. America was not always seen as one of the world’s superpowers. Our rise to power was focused on a few distinct driving forces. These include the rise of capitalism, military dominance, and an economic boom all which occurred from Post war era such as World War II and the Cold War (Baker p. 10). All of these factors contributed to the gaining of America’s power. It is also important to look at the factors that gave America the ability to keep this power. Those influences were surrounded around America’s capability to become a dominate power in the international system, and maintaining a stable economy (Mandelbaum p.213). History has shown many examples of countries rising and falling from power. Due to this many Americans feel they we are on a similar path. Contributing to this downward path is the increasing power of Asian and Middle Eastern (Bar p.41). Of these countries China is recognized as one with the most potential. China has gained an increasing role in the world system through material capabilities, hard powers, and through human or social capabilities or soft powers. (Gilley p.245) China’s biggest draw is its material capabilities because it has led the nation to become one the
Dr. Brown
International Relations
2nd May, 2012
United States as a World Superpower The rising to the status of world super power does not happen overnight. To explore the journey to the top, we must recognize the struggles and obstacles that were overcome. As Americans we can proudly say that we live in a country with globally recognized supremacy. As stated earlier, it was not an easy title to obtain. Looking back throughout history we can see specific examples of how we began our rise to power and what it has taken to preserve our power. Some of our more recent history has shown that many people are questioning how much longer we will be able to retain this power. I however feel strongly that America has the ability to remain a world superpower. America was not always seen as one of the world’s superpowers. Our rise to power was focused on a few distinct driving forces. These include the rise of capitalism, military dominance, and an economic boom all which occurred from Post war era such as World War II and the Cold War (Baker p. 10). All of these factors contributed to the gaining of America’s power. It is also important to look at the factors that gave America the ability to keep this power. Those influences were surrounded around America’s capability to become a dominate power in the international system, and maintaining a stable economy (Mandelbaum p.213). History has shown many examples of countries rising and falling from power. Due to this many Americans feel they we are on a similar path. Contributing to this downward path is the increasing power of Asian and Middle Eastern (Bar p.41). Of these countries China is recognized as one with the most potential. China has gained an increasing role in the world system through material capabilities, hard powers, and through human or social capabilities or soft powers. (Gilley p.245) China’s biggest draw is its material capabilities because it has led the nation to become one the
Bibliography: 2. Baker, Andrew. Constructing a post-war order: the rise of US hegemony and the origins of the Cold War." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Feb. 2012: 1129. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Mar. 2012 3 4. Gilley, Bruce. "Middle powers during great power transitions: China 's rise and the future of Canada-US relations." International Journal 66.2 (2011): 245+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 May 2012 5 6. Walt, Stephen M. "The end of the American era." The National Interest 116 (2011): 6+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 May 2012.