Terms
Smart power
In international relations , the term smart power refers to the combination of hard power and soft power strategies. It is defined by the Center for Strategic and International Studies as "an approach that underscores the necessity of a strong military, but also invests heavily in alliances, partnerships, and institutions of all levels to expand American influence and establish legitimacy of American action." [ 1 ] Joseph Nye, former Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Clinton Administration and author of several books on smart power strategy, suggests that the most effective strategies in foreign policy today require a mix of hard and soft power resources. Employing only hard power or only soft power in a given situation will usually prove inadequate. [ 2 ] Nye utilizes the example of terrorism, arguing that combatting terrorism demands smart power strategy.
Polarity in international relations
Polarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power [ vague ] is distributed within the international system [ vague ] . It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes four types of systems: Unipolarity , Bipolarity , Tripolarity , and Multipolarity , for four or more centers of power. The type of system is completely dependent on the distribution of power and influence of states in a region or internationally. [ edit ] Unipolarity NATO and countries with which it is supposed to be at peace account for over 70% of global military expenditure , [ 1 ] with the United States alone accounting for 43% of global military expenditure [ 2 ] in 2009 and more than the next 17 combined in 2010 [ 3 ] with NATO then taking about half of the global $1.6 trillion. [ 4 ]
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests. A superpower is traditionally considered to be a step higher than a great power . Alice Lyman Miller (Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School ), defines a superpower as "a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global hegemony ." [ 2 ] It was a term first applied to the British Empire , the Soviet Union and the United States of America in 1944.
Superpower
Energy superpower
An energy superpower is a nation that supplies large amounts of energy resources ( crude oil , natural gas , coal , uranium , etc.) to a significant number of other states, and therefore has the potential to influence world markets to gain a political or economic advantage. It is used to describe Russia , and has been used with other countries, such as Saudi Arabia , Canada , Venezuela , Australia , and Iran . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Energy superpower status might be exercised, for example, by significantly influencing the price on global markets, or by withholding supplies. [ 6 ] The status of "energy superpower" should not be confused with that of " superpower " .
Democratic deficit
A democratic deficit (or democracy deficit ) occurs when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments ) fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation where representative and linked parliamentary integrity becomes widely discussed. [ 1 ] The phrase democratic deficit is cited as first being used by the Young European Federalists in their Manifesto in 1977, [ 2 ] which was drafted by Richard Corbett . The phrase was also used by David Marquand in 1979, referring to the then European Economic Community , the forerunner of the European Union . [ 3 ] [ edit ] United Nations