The Concept of Power

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Power was always perceived as a gauge by nations’ military might and ability to impose its will on others; however since taking this course, the perception has changed. There are multiple definitions of power. Power can be used to influence other nations to meet the host nation’s intent. Power can be interpreted through economic influence or old fashion brute force among many things. In essence, power is the means in which influence is bestowed unto nations, or in general in order to maintain order or get what is needed.

The biggest influence on politic power is money. No one can live without it and we all want more of it. Money can mean the difference between jobs, roads, education, or military strength. Without money, a country would become stagnant and not able to accomplish anything. Therefore, withholding money is a form of power in which to cripple an opponent and make it cooperate with another country’s agenda. Cutting off commerce with a nation would hurt both sides, but if one economy is stronger than the other, it could pressure the other country to be more cooperative.

The United States uses its power to influence nations through economic and political means. Such power relies on the fact that the United States has a major role in controlling the free market because of the high numbers of exports. For example, North Korea receives humanitarian relief from the United States, this is a form of control that they have over this country because if that was cut off, people would not have as many opportunities. Another example would be China. China’s economy has always relied heavily on the United States if the U.S. were to cut off their access to our market; they would be severely crippled and their entire econ...

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...rength, can be used to accomplish the same thing. Each alternative needs to be considered and analyzed before making a decision that is going to affect many people. War is not always the first solution that is decided to solve a problem and it should be. Power is not just measured by the size of our armies or the size of our arsenals. Governments of the world and their appointed officials have an extremely difficult job to accomplish. In a world that is constantly consumed in; conflict, economic turmoil, racism and extremism, leaders of the world must be ready and able to adapt to any situation that may be presented. They must realize that there is not one solve all solution for every situation and have the ability to determine which one is the bets. That is why power is influential because it gets the point across.

Works Cited

Introduction to Political Science

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