My previous entries about our government's actions caused me to think about how much power the United States actually has as a World Power. According to the government, the Department of Defense's budget is 533.7 billion dollars while there are an estimated 1.2 million active personnel enrolled in the military. These figures promote that the United States has one of the largest armies in the world. What also makes the United States powerful is its economy, and our influence in other countries. Because of these traits, it can be understood that the United States has a lot of power and money in order to influence other countries. At the same time there is speculation as to the effect that the United States has had on influencing other countries. In 2003 the United States attempted to lead the United Nations into a joint effort to stop Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Sadly, the outcome of the attempt was not what the U.S. hoped for in that Britain was the only country that followed our lead. It can be said that the U.S. accounts for a large percent of the United Nation's troops, so really it did not matter what the U.N. chose to do but this does not address the issue with the situation. The fact that the United States was incapable of successfully influencing the U.N. brings doubt to the way in which the United States is dealing with the rest of the world.
A common belief in the United States was that we were able to do things on our own. The issues which have arisen in the places where we have situated ourselves with this mentality illustrate that it is not possible for us to do this. We require the support of other countries in order to truly accomplish what should be our goals as the leading power of the world. The problem with this idea is that fact that worldly organizations, like the United Nations, have not been able to accomplish very much. This is gone over more in other blogs such as the blog, Modern Problems with the United Nations by Political_blogger. In order for the U.S. to successfully lead the world, it must make it's goals as a superpower world-orientated, and must be able to influence other countries to help it accomplish these goals.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/budget/defense.pdf
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/budget/intelligence.pdf
http://www.teacheroz.com/Military_History.htm#docs
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How much power we have depends on our economy and the size of our army, is very true, since nowadays money buys everything and advanced armies can control territories. However, make sure that you compare the size of our army and our budget to other countries's so that it can be seen that the U.S. is indeed a world power economically and militarily. World Power is not merely economy and military, it also includes interactions with different governments. Also, a world power must be able to use their interactions as influence, and then use that influence to win the "hearts and minds" of other governments, and persuade them to agree with and support our position. Well done on saying what needs to be done to correct the situation.
ReplyDeletewhy thank you. In terms of the discussion of the United States as a super power, I agree that interactions with other countries are just as important as economic and militaristic values of a country. When one compares the size of our military to that of others, it is true that other countries do have more troops than us. Also, economically other countries are in better positions than us as of now. To defend these statistics, arguments can be ideas such as the training of soldiers, and how efficient our soldiers happen to be. As for the economy, it is overwhelmingly known that we are not in a good financial position. What people tend to forget is that throughout history, the U.S. dollar has been one of the most stable currencies of the world. Secondly, it is forgotten that even though we owe many countries countless amounts of money, they owe us money as well.
ReplyDeleteWith these ideas present, maybe it can be said that the U.S. is not as powerful as it is portrayed to be. What is forgotten is the perception that everyone has of the U.S. The world believes that it is the duty of the U.S. to take action. What also cannot be overlooked is the interactions that the U.S. has with other countries because of what we say we stand for. The successes of the United States in it's short-time as a country compared to other countries illustrates what our country is capable of. It comes down to what you believe power to be.
Throughout the history of the United States, it has been almost proven over and over again that we are the nation that determines the fate of ultimately, the world. I noticed you used the example of the war in Iraq and how Britain was the only nation to follow the U.S' entrance into Iraq. In the development of our nation's imperialistic mindset, we have not necessarily made the most morally correct moves in order to raise ourselves into becoming the world power that we are today. For example, during the Spanish-American War, the United States seized many nations, such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, that were expected to be freed by the United States; however, instead they were forced to remain under US control. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that in order for the United States to truly succeed as a world power, they are required to have the support from the other nations; but if we do not give other nations respect first, they will not want to respect us and help us when we need it the most.
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