1. World Powers

2. World Powers of the Past:
Roman Empire
Mongol Empire
British Empire

3. With the rise and fall, several questions come to mind:
what special set of conditions allows a state, sometimes quite small like Britain, to expand its influence to the point where it becomes a major world power?
How does a world power (or empire) eventually lose its influence? To what extent is this determined by what happens inside or outside the country?
What will the world’s power structures be like in 50 years?

4. w/ WWII, 2 long-term imperial powers (England and France) and 2 aspiring imperial powers (Germany and Japan) were no longer in the race to be dominant countries in the world
only 2 superpowers remained: US and USSR
both states used hard (Korean and Vietnam war, Afghan-Soviet war, proxy wars) and soft power
At the end of the 80s the USSR lost the Cold War due to cost of competing militarily and inefficient economy that almost left the state bankrupt
This left only one superpower

5. It can be argued that the US is the most dominant power in history in 3 important ways:
i) never has a country had such a truly worldwide sphere of influence
ii) no country as had the same ability to project its soft and hard power to every part of the world
iii) no world power has ever experienced the complete absence of a peer or even near- peer rival

6. BRICS – Future World Powers?
Brazil
Russia
India
China
South Africa

7. Working Together to Build a Better World

8. UN
founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security and promote social and economic development
- with large and small nations that have conflicting agendas there were enormous differences in wealth
“The UN was not created to take humanity to heaven, but to save it from hell” pg. 399

9. U.N. Security Council includes 5 permanent and 10 temporary members
Real power lies with the 5 permanent members: China, France, Russia, UK and US (‘winners’ after WWII)
Each has the ability to veto any resolution being considered by the Security Council hence all 5 must agree before a resolution passes
because of this the UN rarely takes meaningful action when peace and security are threatened
recently the US has used it the most, generally to prevent the passage of motions critical of Israel
sometimes it has not bothered to make a motion knowing it will be vetoed
The Security Council also has power to impose sanction
Should Brazil and India also join?

10. General Assembly
body within the UN where all countries are represented and have equal voting power
meet each year from and includes reps from all 192 members of the organization (can also meet in emergencies)
debates and passes many motions but they tend to be symbolic since only the Security Council has enforcement powers

11. Peacekeeping
occurs when the UN (& sometime other agencies like NATO) provides a force of soldiers and often police and civilian officials to maintain order in a country or region that has experience conflict.
A prerequisite for peacekeeping is an agreement by all the warring parties to stop fighting
demand has risen dramatically over the yrs.
many complications:
size of peacekeeping force
environment (eg harsh in Darfur)
shortage of specialized capabilities - equipment that are commonly used by Old Core armies and air forces already committed to conflicts elsewhere

12. Peacemaking
Occurs when UN or other forces must impose peace on warring factions
Peacemaking does not occur nearly as often as peacekeeping because it requires powerful military forces that can be very dangerous.
Peacemaking examples: Korean War, the first Gulf War.

13. “UN is the only fire department in the world that must go out and buy a fire engine b4 it can respond to an emergency”
- Kofi Annan (Former Secretary General of the UN
He called for the creation of UN-controlled multinational military forces in various parts of the world that could respond quickly to an emergency situation. Something like this could have saved lives during the genocide in Rwanda.
But the problem lies in the absence of political will and financial resources

14. Successful???
no WWIII
range of commissions and specialized agencies have accomplished a great deal (UNICEF, UNHCR etc.)
(UNHCR = United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
ultimately it depends entirely on the willingness of nations to give up some of their powers and set aside some of their national interests so that a more effective UN can emerge

15. NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
under the agreement, a threat to any member is regarded as a threat to all
Read text p

16. Role of Individuals and NGOs