Everything about Regional Power totally explained
In
international relations, a
regional power is a
state that has
power within a
geographic region.
Definition
There are slightly differing definitions of what makes a regional power:
According to the
European Consortium for Political Research a regional power can be defined as "a state belonging to a geographically defined region, dominating this region in
economic and
military terms, able to exercise
hegemonic influence in the region and considerable influence on the world scale, willing to make use of power
resources and recognized or even accepted as the regional leader by its neighbours". Academics from various sources think China is a regional power in East Asia and
Southeast Asia.
It has the world's largest population at 1.3 billion people. It is currently the 4th largest economy in the world (second in
purchasing power) and growing at a rate of over 9% a year. It has the largest reserves of foreign exchange and gold in the world. China is a permanent member of the
UN Security Council.
In terms of manpower, China has the biggest military in the world, with 2,250,000 active troops. Chinese defence expenditure is the highest in East Asia, and the fourth highest in the world. China has
nuclear weapons,
inter-continental ballistic missiles, and
ballistic missile submarines.
Japan
Japan is considered a regional power by academics at the
City University of Hong Kong, and is described as a "core great regional power" in a report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments policy research institute.
Japan has the second highest nominal GDP in the world, and the largest in East Asia. It also has the second largest population and second largest defence budget in the region. Japan has technologically advanced armed forces.
France
France has been described as a regional power by the
Global Policy Forum, and
Samuel P. Huntington, and is described as a "core great regional power" in a report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments policy research institute. France has nuclear weapons, inter-continental ballistic missiles, ballistic missile submarines, and is the only nation besides the United States to operate a nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier.
Germany
Germany has been described as a regional power by
Samuel P. HuntingtonIt is described as a "core great regional power" in a report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments policy research institute. Germany has the largest economy in Europe, Also the
Carabinieri and author B.A. Roberson have claimed Italy's status as a regional power.
Italy is a member of the
G8,
NATO and is also a current elected member of the
United Nations Security Council. Italy also has the fourth largest economy within Europe . Italy is undergoing military upgrades and reform including the making of a new
aircraft carrier, the
Cavour (550) and the purchase of more
Eurofighter Typhoons. Italy was one of the founding members of the EU and as of 2006.
Russia
Publications of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the CSBA policy research institute It has a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and inter-continental ballistic missiles in the world. It also has ballistic missile submarines, and is the only country in Europe with a
strategic bomber force. Russia is considered to have the second most powerful military in the world, after the U.S.
Russia is the second largest producer and exporter of oil in the world, after Saudi Arabia. It has the largest proven oil reserves of any European country. Russia is also the world's largest producer and exporter of
natural gas, with the largest proven reserves in the world.
United Kingdom
The U.K is described as a regional power by scholars at the
University of Cambridge It has been called a European power by a professor at
Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. The U.K is described as a "core great regional power" in a report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments policy research institute. The U.K possesses nuclear weapons, inter-continental ballistic missiles, ballistic missile submarines, and is the only European country with more than one aircraft carrier. Additionally, it became the only country in the world other than the United States to have more than one aircraft carrier following the collapse of the
Soviet Union. The UK is also the largest producer of oil and gas in the European Union.
London, the capital of the UK is one of the world's largest financial centres alongside
New York City and
Tokyo. .
Brazil and
Mexico are regional powers in Latin America: they're the only countries in the
Americas (besides the
United States and
Canada) which are part of the
G8+5; the latter is the only Latin American member of the
OECD and is also a party to the
North American Free Trade Agreement.
Brazil
Brazil is considered a regional power by
academia .
Condoleezza Rice has said, "I think it's a fact that Brazil is a regional power and, in fact, Brazil is a growing global presence".
Brazil is the
fifth-largest country by geographical area, the
fifth most populous country and has the eleventh largest
economy in the world. In addition to having the 12th largest
defence budget and 18th largest
armed forces in the the world, it's the only country in
Latin America with an aircraft carrier.
On the global stage Brazil is a member of the
G8+5, a political and economic group composed of emerging economic powers and the
G8. It is also one of the
G4 nations currently seeking a permanent seat at the
United Nations Security Council.
Brazil is one of the
BRIC countries - a
Goldman Sachs thesis projecting that the economic potential of
Brazil,
Russia,
India, and
China is such that they may become among the four most dominant economies by the year
2050.
Brazil is currently considered an "Agricultural Superpower" and an "Oil Superpower" due to its vast resources and production in those areas.
Mexico
Mexico is considered a regional power by
academics and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mexico has the second largest economy in the region with $1.134 USD trillion. It has the second largest defence budget ($6.07 billion USD) and armed forces in Latin America.
Mexico is the largest
exporter in the whole region, in 2006 it exported 248.8 billion USD, almost equivalent to the exports of all members of
Mercosur combined, which total 258.4 billion USD Efraim Inbar of
Bar-Ilan University calls Egypt a Middle Eastern regional power and the "most important Arab state". The Power and Interest News Report has called Egypt "one of the most important players in the Middle East".
Vladimir Putin has called the country a key regional power. Egypt has also been called an African regional power by academics.
Saad Eddin Ibrahim also says Egypt's status as a regional power under
Hosni Mubarak has weakened steadily.
Egypt's population is the largest in the Middle East, North Africa, and the
Arab world, and the third largest in Africa. It has the second largest economy in North Africa, which is the third largest in the Arab world, and fourth largest in Africa and the Middle East. Egypt's military budget is the third largest in Africa, fourth largest among Arab states, and fifth largest in the Middle East.
Iran
Iran is considered by academics and experts to be a regional power in the Middle East.
John Simpson (World affairs editor,
BBC News) named Iran as the region's
superpower: "Iran is now a regional superpower, and ever since the
Islamic revolution in 1978-9, we in the
West have consistently misunderstood it."
Barry Rubin professor at the
Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in
Herzliya,
Israel published result of his research in 'The
Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA)': "Iran is the sole regional
great power today in the Middle East, because no
Arab state can claim that title. It has expanded influence in
Iraq,
Lebanon, and among the
Palestinians as well as in parts of
Afghanistan. In many ways it's the patron of
Syria. The growing
Shi'a-Sunni rift is adding to Iran's
influence, which is also helped by the
high price of oil; even without
nuclear weapons."
British House of Commons's
Foreign Affairs Committee have noted Iran as an
emerging great power.
Iran is
Persia (name change happened in 1935), one of the most
ancient and influential cultures in the world. The Persian influence can be observed throughout the region and the world with many countries speaking
Persian language such as
Afghanistan,
Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, or for its renowned
poets such as
Rumi.
Iran has the second largest GDP in the region. Iran has developed
Medium-range ballistic missiles.
Iran is the world's fourth largest producer, It has also been called a Middle Eastern regional power by other academics. In the opinion of
Avner Cohen and a former acting director of the
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; "Israel is a regional power, in fact the strongest military power in the region." Israel's only short coming is that it has no influence in the region.
Israel has the fourth largest GDP in the region.
BBC News has called Saudi Arabia a "regional power-house".
YaleGlobal Online has an article describing Saudi as "a leading regional power".
CNN, and
PBS have also described the country as a regional power. It is difficult to identify Saudi Arabia's military capabilities since it has never conducted a major military operation.
Saudi Arabia has a special significance in the
Muslim world, as it contains
Islam's two most holy sites,
Mecca and
Medina. Although Saudi Arabia contains locations that are of religious significants it lacks religious persuasion with the Muslim world; most notably the break down of the cease-fire agreement between
Hamas and
Fatah that was held in Mecca. It has the third largest GDP in the region after Turkey and Iran, According to Professor Asher Susser of
Tel Aviv University; "What is new about the Middle East is the rise of non-
Arab players, namely Turkey,
Israel and particularly
Iran, as regional powers in parallel with the decline of the relative importance of what were once key Arab players in the region, namely
Egypt, Syria, Iraq and
Saudi Arabia." And "Turkish participation in the Middle East is unavoidable and its territorial proximity to the Middle East alone is significant"
Turkey's GDP is larger than any Middle Eastern countries. The
Encyclopedia Britannica states that "the Soviet collapse left the United States with undisputed status as the world's most powerful country", and calls the U.S. "the world's sole superpower".
It has the largest GDP in the world. The U.S. has the second largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and inter-continental ballistic missiles in the world after Russia. Former Australian foreign minister
Alexander Downer has claimed "Australia is an especially significant regional power in our neighbourhood".
Australia is the world’s sixth largest country by area. It has by far the largest GDP in Oceania, and the fourth largest in the wider
Asia-Pacific region. . It is also often referred as South Asia's natural hegemon because of its overwhelming dominance of the region in all aspects – political, economic, military, cultural, and demographic. India contributes 77% of South Asia's population, 75% of its GDP, 77 percent of its territory, 80% of its defence budget, and 82% of its armed forces. India is the world's most populous democracy. It has the largest economy in the region, According to political analyst C. Raja Mohan:
"India's omnidirectional engagement with the great powers has paid off handsomely. Never before has India had such expansive relations with all the major powers at the same time—a result not only of India's increasing weight in the
global economy and its growing power potential, but also of New Delhi's savvy and persistent diplomacy."
With the largest defence budget in the region, India possesses nuclear weapons, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and is the only South Asian country with an aircraft carrier. It has successfully developed a
Ballistic Missile Defense system, becoming only the fourth country to do so. In
2007, India became the fourth nation in the world to complete
atmospheric reentry for Manned Space Mission, an indication of its recent scientific progress.
Indonesia
Indonesia has been described as a regional power in Southeast Asia by academia. According to the
Power and Interest News Report; "Given
Jakarta's powerful military establishment and continuing investment in military hardware and development, Indonesia will emerge as an even more powerful player in Southeast Asia. If the state is able to hold together in the face of the mounting social, economic and natural challenges, it'll potentially emerge as an even more powerful regional player."
Indonesia has by far the largest population in Southeast Asia, and the fourth largest in the world. It has the largest GDP in the region,
South Africa has the largest GDP in Africa and "the undisputed regional power in the West African region" by academics. Former U.S
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas R. Pickering has called Nigeria "a regional power house", that plays "an important role in West Africa".
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, and the
8th largest in the world. Nigeria's GDP is by far the largest in West Africa, and the second largest in Africa.
[ Nigeria has the largest defence budget in West Africa, and the 7th largest in Africa. Nigeria is Africa's largest and the world's 12th largest producer of Crude oil.][ It also has the 10th largest Oil reserves in the world.][Further Information]
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