Great Powers

Developed infrastructure, technical expertise, military capabilities, and adequate resources that enable them to exercise influence over other nation states on the global scale characterize sovereign states. The aspect of high power is associated with economic strength and strategic forces that cannot be found amongst the less powerful nations. The opinions of high powers are considered favorable without a critical analysis. The emergence of great power marks the global history. Scholars have discussed and expounded on the knowledge of great powers, their rising, and influence. This excerpt analyzes the argument of Layne Christopher concerning the unipolar illusion.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Layne discusses the possibility of the increase of great powers. He bases his argument on the fact that the great powers existed and the phenomena presented in the global arena poses the possibility of another uprising of great powers. The rising of great powers emanates from the fact that the rate of establishment differs from one country to another (Layne 1993). The economic powers are attained through the processes of setting up strategic measures to increase the per capita income. The military and technological abilities develop gradually through good governance and innovation respectively. Layne notes how an eligible state begins to gain power, starts to exercise mechanisms of sustainability, and strives to remain relevant (Layne 1993). The nation states achieve ambitious visions and, therefore, create a platform for further establishment and growth of power. The increase in the agenda pursued by these countries is inclined towards achieving a secured atmosphere and a stable environment for economic development and international influence.

However, in the process of attaining power, some countries mimic the international excellence from the other states. The strife conceptualizes the effect of Balancing and Sameness Effect as the consequences of the anarchies. Lieber and Gerald note the struggle for striking a balance as an inevitable ambition (Lieber & Gerald 2005). The duo depicts how the international political and economic power can be witnessed in the struggle for gaining a balance or a better ground of influence. The states are struggling to put in place economic strategies and political measures such as embracing globalization, industrialization, and democratization. The need of balancing is to eliminate the significant disparity in access to power (Lieber & Gerald 2005). When international power is decentralized, then the struggle for supremacy decreases. The resultant phenomenon is a favorable environment for international integration. The Sameness Effect involves the tendency of states participating in an eco-political competition mimicking the essential characteristics and methodology of their better-off competitors.

There exists a possibility of Great Power rivalry in the global political and economic arenas. Previously, the French rose to power by accumulating her resources to greater heights and exerted an influence to the surrounding nations. In that regard, England rose to power being inspired by the experience of French. Habsburg Austria followed the wind to counter the extensive French influence. The British and Germany experiences affirm the possibility of present-day political and economic rivalry (Layne, 1993). The USA has been consistently maintaining its global influence over years. The country received the driving force to gaining power from the culture of defending her interests (Lieber & Gerald 2005). Currently the state, despite the opposition from the international domain, has been on the top of the ladder concerning the security issues, nuclear energy, and government system in the Middle East and Africa.

In conclusion, the process of attaining a global balance in sociopolitical aspects and economic development is a complex agenda. The struggle for a balance presents an environment for the development of the complexity (Lieber & Gerald 2005). However, the history depicts how Great Powers came into existence, and the same driving factors are witnessed in the current international consideration such as security, economic development, governance, and democracy.

Bibliography

Layne, Christopher. 1993. The Unipolar Illusion: Why New Great Powers Will Rise.

International Security 17.4: 5 52. http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2539020Lieber, Keir, A., and Gerald, Alexander. 2005. Waiting For Balancing: Why The World is Not Pushing Back. International Security 30.1: 109 139 http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/4137460