Misplaced Pages

Talk:Superpower: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 04:50, 24 June 2023 editGeogSage (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users7,153 edits Potential modern superpowers: The case for UK and France: ReplyTag: Reply← Previous edit Latest revision as of 09:52, 16 November 2024 edit undoKlbrain (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers86,424 edits Merge proposal: Potential superpower: Closing; no merge 
(62 intermediate revisions by 21 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Talk header}} {{Talk header}}
{{Controversial}} {{Controversial}}
{{WikiProject banner shell|collapsed=yes|1= {{WikiProject banner shell|collapsed=yes|class=B|vital=yes|
{{WikiProject Power in international relations|class=B|importance=Top}} {{WikiProject Power in international relations|importance=Top}}
{{WikiProject International relations|class=B|importance=high}} {{WikiProject International relations|importance=high}}
{{WikiProject Politics|class=B|importance=mid|American=y}} {{WikiProject Politics|importance=mid|American=y|American-importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject United States|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject China|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject India|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject European Union|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject United Kingdom|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject Soviet Union|class=B|importance=mid}}
{{WikiProject Russia|class=B|importance=mid|pol=yes|hist=yes}}
}} }}
{{User:MiszaBot/config {{User:MiszaBot/config
Line 17: Line 10:
|maxarchivesize = 150K |maxarchivesize = 150K
|counter = 13 |counter = 13
|minthreadsleft = 7 |minthreadsleft = 1
|algo = old(30d) |algo = old(30d)
|archive = Talk:Superpower/Archive %(counter)d |archive = Talk:Superpower/Archive %(counter)d
}} }}
{{merged-from|Superpower collapse| 15 March 2024}}
{{archives|auto=yes|search=yes|bot=MiszaBot I|age=30}}
{{merged-from|Superpower disengagement| 11 May 2024}}
<!-- Talk page begins here. --> <!-- Talk page begins here. -->
{{Broken anchors|links= {{Broken anchors|links=
* <nowiki>]</nowiki> Anchor ] links to a specific web page: ]. * <nowiki>]</nowiki> Anchor ] links to a specific web page: ].
* <nowiki>]</nowiki> The anchor (#Dictatorship of the bourgeoisie) is no longer available because it was ] before. <!-- {"title":"Dictatorship of the bourgeoisie","appear":{"revid":490700302,"parentid":485790865,"timestamp":"2012-05-04T21:53:51Z","replaced_anchors":{"Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie":"Dictatorship of the bourgeoisie"},"removed_section_titles":,"added_section_titles":},"disappear":{"revid":1160717353,"parentid":1160716083,"timestamp":"2023-06-18T09:43:15Z","removed_section_titles":,"added_section_titles":}} -->
}} }}

{{old move|date=7 June 2024|destination=Superpower (politics)|result=no consensus|link=Special:Permalink/1229440734#Requested move 7 June 2024}}


== American overseas military map graphic - Should be altered? == == American overseas military map graphic - Should be altered? ==
Line 36: Line 33:


I propose that Honduras, Brazil, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece, Philippines, and Australia should not be colored on the map due to low personnel sizes based on the figures in the aforementioned report. I propose that Honduras, Brazil, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece, Philippines, and Australia should not be colored on the map due to low personnel sizes based on the figures in the aforementioned report.

{{Collapse top|]}}

== China ==
China is now more powerful than the United States. (] (]) 13:23, 11 August 2020 (UTC))

:China is finally acknowledged as an emerging Second Superpower in 2021. That's a huge upgrade from 2007, 2011, and 2016 when I last visited this Misplaced Pages page on Superpower nations. Whether China vs. US should be relegated to early 2000's internet flame-war threads, not Misplaced Pages.] (]) 03:23, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
{{Collapse bottom}}

== United Kingdom ==
{{hat|Ban evasion by ].}}
In the table explaining how the United States and the Soviet Union met the criteria of being superpowers during the Cold War, the United Kingdom should be added, as it was also a superpower until the aftermath of the Suez Crisis in 1956. ] (]) 22:23, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
:The UK had ceased to be a superpower by the 1930s. (] (]) 09:11, 13 April 2021 (UTC))

:Who did said UK was a superpower until the Suez Crisis? The US and the URSS became too militarily powerful to even compare these countries to the UK or France. The Suez Crisis only exposed that officially to your government. You’re claiming 11 more years of this superpower status. UK received funds from the Marshall Plan, more than any other country. They left Greece to be protected by the USA, UK even merged it’s zone in Germany with that of the US because it was following USA’s leadership and agenda since WWII. <!-- Template:Unsigned IP --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (]) 16:43, 3 June 2021 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
{{hab}}


== Unilateral edition == == Unilateral edition ==
Someone edited the part about emerging superpowers and decided to delete informations about Brazil and the image showing potential superpowers was substituted without any discussion about it. Personal feelings are not determinants in Misplaced Pages, at least it shouldn’t be. Someone edited the part about emerging superpowers and decided to delete informations about Brazil and the image showing potential superpowers was substituted without any discussion about it. Personal feelings are not determinants in Misplaced Pages, at least it shouldn’t be.


== Merge proposal: Potential superpower ==
== China ==
{{Discussion top|result=To '''not''' merge, given that a merge would unbalance the target. It is agreed that a joint article would not be ]. ] (]) 09:52, 16 November 2024 (UTC)}}
{{hat|Ban evasion by ].}}
Following the merge of superpower collapse and superpower disengagement, I believe the page ] could be merged into superpower. I don't believe there is enough difference to justify the two distinct pages. Merging them would improve the main superpower page significantly. The content can be put into the existing section of the same name. ] <sup> (]) </sup> 22:35, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
China is already recognised as a superpower, so this should be mentioned in the lede. It has replaced the US in the Middle East. (] (]) 13:00, 7 September 2021 (UTC))
: '''Support.''' There's no reason to have two separate articles on basically the same subject. It dilutes editor efforts and results in lower quality articles. ] (]) 23:18, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
:Please provide reliable sources to support your edit suggestion. ] ] 18:18, 7 September 2021 (UTC)
:'''Oppose''' - Unless you're also suggesting large-scales reductions in detail the merged article is likely to be too long to be easily navigable. ] (]) 13:15, 1 June 2024 (UTC)
::I can find many sources saying China is a superpower just with a recent google search. For its manufacturing superpower status alone China should be mentioned in the lede: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1234103.shtml (] (]) 11:22, 14 September 2021 (UTC))
:::Tabloid that operates under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party? Hardly independent. ]] 13:11, 14 September 2021 (UTC) ::'''Comment'''- If the merge is accepted, I would encourage any editor to help boil down the merged section to remove redundant information and keep the page navigable. ] <sup> (]) </sup> 02:20, 8 June 2024 (UTC)
::::Almost every publication is controlled by China now, especially in the United States. (] (]) 14:13, 14 September 2021 (UTC)) *'''Oppose''' Vastly different topics. ] (]) 07:15, 17 June 2024 (UTC)
:::::''Controlled by'' is probably going a bit far, but I'm an optimist. ]] 14:50, 14 September 2021 (UTC)
::::::The United States is a satellite of China. (] (]) 16:59, 14 September 2021 (UTC))
:::::::What? ] (]) 00:10, 27 February 2022 (UTC)
::::A more serious response: "controlled by the CCP" is akin to saying "is based in China." I wouldn't describe NPR as "controlled by the State Department." As for some links that refer to China as a superpower:
::::https://www.axios.com/china-ukraine-proxy-war-arm-russia-86a101ed-04e2-4d0a-bce5-b25dd79022ff.html
::::https://www.reuters.com/world/us-gamble-china-over-ukraine-raises-tensions-with-rival-superpower-2022-03-17/
::::https://www.ft.com/content/1bb94349-a401-45ee-8501-7e428add40e8
::::https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10694885/China-planning-build-military-base-Solomon-Islands-YEARS-leaked-Document.html
::::The article is severely out of date. ] (]) 11:42, 12 April 2022 (UTC)
{{hab}}

== ] ==

I would love it if somebody could clearly explain what's wrong if anything with the sources supporting the brief mention of the Spanish Empire as a historical superpower. ] (]) 14:46, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

It has been debated amongst historians [[User:Kimand299
|Kimand299]] (]) 3:35, 24 March 2022 (UTC)
:Okay. I'm willing to bet that the status of many of the others is also debatable. What we're looking for, though, is a preponderance of reliable sources that say it is (then we include it), or reliable sources that say it isn't (then we exclude it). If there is equal weight for and against among the reliable sources, then we could move it to a second sentence saying that it is sometimes referred to as a superpower, but that this is disputed, or something like that. Have those historians given recorded talks/published books/articles/whatever so that the ] can be reviewed? ] (]) 17:19, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

== Potential modern superpowers: The case for UK and France ==

There is some good faith debate and reverts, specifically from @], on the what is or is not a "Superpower" or "potential superpower." I think that we could create a chart for world powers that could sort this out, but that is a job for another day or another editor. Anyway, a potential superpower must be a dominant force in world politics, culture, economics, and military, among other things. A good starting point is the ] five permanent members, The United States, Russia, China, the UK, and France. These countries all have veto power, and nuclear weapons. France and UK both have larger Economies then Russia. Both France and the UK have major contributions to world culture, and their links with other countries give them substantial influence. Their non-nuclear militaries are both significant, and possibly greater then Russia at this point. They both have a history of colonialism, and maintain some influence even today within their former colonies. The inclusion of Russia, China, and India makes perfect sense, even though India is not a permanent security council member. Through the same logic that these countries are "Potential superpowers," the UK and France both qualify. France and the UK both stand out from Russia, China, India, and the US as they are not in the top ], however both surpass Russia and are in the top ] , with GPD per capita far in excess of Russia, China and India.

I would like to see an argument for why France and the UK should not be included as potential super powers, when they surpass criteria in at least one area for both Russia and India. I get that at this point India, Russia, France and UK are probably best classified as Great Powers, but they would all be the preeminent among Great Powers. The word "Potential" is very loose, and we should have SOME criteria for why we include some countries but not others.


:*'''Support''', Upon inspection, both articles may cover different information, but there are some similarities. ] may have to do with this.
Other things that could be included onto the list include NATO, but the EU is probably enough for ]'s to get the point across without muddying the term.
:] (]) 03:03, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
:'''Support''' - It does not appear to me that ''potential superpower'' is recognized by sources a distinct enough concept to merit a distinct article. ] (]) 06:21, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
*'''Strong Oppose'''- Per arguments listed above. These are different topics. ] (]) 23:28, 18 August 2024 (UTC)
*:*'''Comment''' per arguments listed above, do you have sources that assert this is a distinct enough concept to merit a distinct article?
*:] <sup> (]) </sup> 23:32, 18 August 2024 (UTC)


:'''Oppose'''. Not because they are vastly different topics (yes, they are different concepts, but they are not that different so that they couldn't be merged), but because the "Potential superpower" article is so detailed and long and contains so many references that it would either bloat the other article or lose a lot of depth; I don't think it could be shortened to an adequate length where it could be merged without losing much background information. Also, the article is very likely to become even larger in the future, e.g., when other countries become candidates for potential superpowers or countries lose their status as a potential superpower and would therefore be moved into the "Former candidates" section and commonly cited reasons for their downfall would be given. ] (]) 21:31, 6 September 2024 (UTC)
] <sup> (]) </sup> 16:11, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
:] arguments are lacking in detail.
:Let's use reliable sources rather than discussions that would amount to original research ]. Also note that the security council does not seem to be a good starting point as it was created from of the ]s (not even then superpower) that decided WWII. The influence (and power) of some has since declined while other powers have been emerging. But historical precedent (and veto power) makes it unlikely permanent membership will change for the foreseeable future. ] (]) 16:18, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
:] is 1500 words and ] 3542. Combined they'd be 5042. That's less than the 6,000 minimum for justifying splitting. Even then, 6,000 is a lower bound suggestion; beginning from 8,000 it becomes a firmer recommendation.
::Hello,
:Size split argument could go either way I think. I don't think what will or won't be a superpower will change so quickly that we should anticipate a significant expansion in either article. Imo what should be the deciding factor is how distinct of topics they are. ] (]) 12:22, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
::This is an excellent point and one I should have started with. While I didn't look into France, a study by ], , uses the phrase "In some respects, it is so strong that it is approaching the status of a “cultural superpower.”" There is also a ] publication discusses the UK as a "soft-power super-power" . Also, the ] makes reference to the first study and discusses the UK as a "cultural superpower" , which also shows claims that the UK is second only to the US in global power.
::When I wrote that merging the article would "bloat the other article", I was not referring to the total length; I rather meant that the merged content, when keeping the detailed descriptions, would make up a disproportionately large part of the article, thus already justifying its own article for better clarity, even considering that they are not vastly different topics. As for my argument that the "Potential superpower" article will become larger in the future, I can already see reliable sources coming up in the next few months or years with the idea that Russia is not a potential superpower anymore, which would mean we'd have to put it in the former candidates section, along with Japan, and add commonly cited reasons for why Russia is usually not seen as a potential superpower anymore or why its status is at least contested by academics. If we merged the article, that would mean that this article would cover three topics: The history of superpowers, potential superpowers, and former potential superpowers (including countries whose status as a potential superpower is heavily debated, such as perhaps Russia or even Brazil in the future). I don't think that's a concise solution. ] (]) 08:58, 6 October 2024 (UTC)
::I'm not sure if these sources are top tier, but I think a case can be made for including the UK as a "potential superpower". Many of these arguments extend to France based on my knowledge, but I don't have any sources yet on that. ] <sup> (]) </sup> 16:46, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
{{Discussion top}}
*France and the UK were past superpowers back then. But now? There are no sources that states otherwise. If anything, Brexit has caused immense doubts on London's political and economic competence on the global stage. Economically, both France and the UK are stagnating. Although Paris is able to use the EU as a vehicle to artificially expand its power, this is more of an EU thing. Culturally? France is losing ground in Franceafrique as more of its former colonies in Africa are revolting against French influence. The UK still has its commonwealth, but again, we are seeing members such as Jamaica effectively trying to remove itself from the system. Militarily, both states saw significant decay in its power projection, although the UK was hit harder, Paris can still independently project power to a limited extent through its overseas territories. You just can't use 'cultural superpower' as an effective gauge for potential superpower status. Japan has far more cultural heft than the UK, and nobody considers Tokyo a superpower, especially after the economic crash in the 90s. Neither can you use the UNSC as a gauge as the UNSC was formed by the primary victors of WW2, not their power status. To be a potential superpower is to have shown increasing rise on several metrics not just one. That includes economics, cultural soft power, military hard power, industrial power, leader of alliance/partnership building, leadership in multilateral organisations, technology and innovation, cyber networks, diplomacy, ''etc'' and project them on a ''global stage''. The Brits ''like'' to champion 'global Britain', but their dealings with the EU have shown that London has grossly overestimated its own power and is dealt with a much weaker hand. They are still great powers, but there is nothing outside of nationalist rhetoric that suggests either of them as potential superpowers. France under Macron is ambitious, but France is ambitious only in the context of turning the ''EU'' as a superpower, ''not France''. So unless there are dozens of sources and hard data that support the idea that both France and the UK are aiming back to superpower status, then they should not have a place here. ] (]) 04:13, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
*:I have listed three sources that mention the UK as a "soft-power super-power," "cultural superpower", and seconded only to the US in power. Russia has recently shown to be really lacking on economics, soft power, non-nuclear hard power, industrial power, industrial power, alliance building, etc. The UK has a larger economy, and is superior in many other metrics. It is hard to see how Russia qualifies as a "potential" power while others do not, when these other countries may be more powerful in multiple categories you have listed. Further, the UK Government uses the term "" or "". This ambition, coupled with the UK economy, military, soft power, political partnerships, etc. certainly seems to warrant categorization as a "potential" superpower according to "some" definitions. The sources exist, I've given five, I think "dozens" of sources is a bit of a ridiculous for such a small claim of "potential". ] <sup> (]) </sup> 04:50, 24 June 2023 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 09:52, 16 November 2024

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Superpower article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.
Article policies
Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs· FENS · JSTOR · TWL
Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13Auto-archiving period: 30 days 
The subject of this article is controversial and content may be in dispute. When updating the article, be bold, but not reckless. Feel free to try to improve the article, but don't take it personally if your changes are reversed; instead, come here to the talk page to discuss them. Content must be written from a neutral point of view. Include citations when adding content and consider tagging or removing unsourced information.
This  level-5 vital article is rated B-class on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to multiple WikiProjects.
WikiProject iconPower in international relations (inactive)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Power in international relations, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.Power in international relationsWikipedia:WikiProject Power in international relationsTemplate:WikiProject Power in international relationsPower in international relations
WikiProject iconInternational relations High‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject International relations, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of International relations on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.International relationsWikipedia:WikiProject International relationsTemplate:WikiProject International relationsInternational relations
HighThis article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.
WikiProject iconPolitics: American Mid‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Politics, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of politics on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PoliticsWikipedia:WikiProject PoliticsTemplate:WikiProject Politicspolitics
MidThis article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
Taskforce icon
This article is supported by American politics task force (assessed as Mid-importance).

The contents of the Superpower collapse page were merged into Superpower on 15 March 2024. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page.
The contents of the Superpower disengagement page were merged into Superpower on 11 May 2024. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page.
Tip: Anchors are case-sensitive in most browsers.

This article links to one or more target anchors that no longer exist.

Please help fix the broken anchors. You can remove this template after fixing the problems. | Reporting errors
On 7 June 2024, it was proposed that this article be moved to Superpower (politics). The result of the discussion was no consensus.

American overseas military map graphic - Should be altered?

The graphic overstates the extend of American military hegemony. For instance, Brazil is colored - but there are only 27 military personnel stationed there, which is more of a diplomatic or training mission than a superpower projection.

I think the map should only highlight countries with at least 100, or 500, or 1000 stationed personnel.

I'm getting the numbers from this German media report which details personnel numbers across the world: https://kritisches-netzwerk.de/sites/default/files/us_department_of_defense_-_base_structure_report_fiscal_year_2015_baseline_-_as_of_30_sept_2014_-_a_summary_of_the_real_property_inventory_-_206_pages.pdf

I propose that Honduras, Brazil, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece, Philippines, and Australia should not be colored on the map due to low personnel sizes based on the figures in the aforementioned report.

Unilateral edition

Someone edited the part about emerging superpowers and decided to delete informations about Brazil and the image showing potential superpowers was substituted without any discussion about it. Personal feelings are not determinants in Misplaced Pages, at least it shouldn’t be.

Merge proposal: Potential superpower

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.
To not merge, given that a merge would unbalance the target. It is agreed that a joint article would not be WP:TOOLONG. Klbrain (talk) 09:52, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Following the merge of superpower collapse and superpower disengagement, I believe the page Potential superpower could be merged into superpower. I don't believe there is enough difference to justify the two distinct pages. Merging them would improve the main superpower page significantly. The content can be put into the existing section of the same name. GeogSage 22:35, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

Support. There's no reason to have two separate articles on basically the same subject. It dilutes editor efforts and results in lower quality articles. Thenightaway (talk) 23:18, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
Oppose - Unless you're also suggesting large-scales reductions in detail the merged article is likely to be too long to be easily navigable. Rambling Rambler (talk) 13:15, 1 June 2024 (UTC)
Comment- If the merge is accepted, I would encourage any editor to help boil down the merged section to remove redundant information and keep the page navigable. GeogSage 02:20, 8 June 2024 (UTC)
  • Support, Upon inspection, both articles may cover different information, but there are some similarities. WP:OVERLAP may have to do with this.
148.222.132.74 (talk) 03:03, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
Support - It does not appear to me that potential superpower is recognized by sources a distinct enough concept to merit a distinct article. Jno.skinner (talk) 06:21, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
Oppose. Not because they are vastly different topics (yes, they are different concepts, but they are not that different so that they couldn't be merged), but because the "Potential superpower" article is so detailed and long and contains so many references that it would either bloat the other article or lose a lot of depth; I don't think it could be shortened to an adequate length where it could be merged without losing much background information. Also, the article is very likely to become even larger in the future, e.g., when other countries become candidates for potential superpowers or countries lose their status as a potential superpower and would therefore be moved into the "Former candidates" section and commonly cited reasons for their downfall would be given. Maxeto0910 (talk) 21:31, 6 September 2024 (UTC)
WP:SIZESPLIT arguments are lacking in detail.
Potential superpower is 1500 words and Superpower 3542. Combined they'd be 5042. That's less than the 6,000 minimum for justifying splitting. Even then, 6,000 is a lower bound suggestion; beginning from 8,000 it becomes a firmer recommendation.
Size split argument could go either way I think. I don't think what will or won't be a superpower will change so quickly that we should anticipate a significant expansion in either article. Imo what should be the deciding factor is how distinct of topics they are. seefooddiet (talk) 12:22, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
When I wrote that merging the article would "bloat the other article", I was not referring to the total length; I rather meant that the merged content, when keeping the detailed descriptions, would make up a disproportionately large part of the article, thus already justifying its own article for better clarity, even considering that they are not vastly different topics. As for my argument that the "Potential superpower" article will become larger in the future, I can already see reliable sources coming up in the next few months or years with the idea that Russia is not a potential superpower anymore, which would mean we'd have to put it in the former candidates section, along with Japan, and add commonly cited reasons for why Russia is usually not seen as a potential superpower anymore or why its status is at least contested by academics. If we merged the article, that would mean that this article would cover three topics: The history of superpowers, potential superpowers, and former potential superpowers (including countries whose status as a potential superpower is heavily debated, such as perhaps Russia or even Brazil in the future). I don't think that's a concise solution. Maxeto0910 (talk) 08:58, 6 October 2024 (UTC)
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.
Categories: