National power
Encyclopedia
National power is defined as the sum of all resources available to a nation in the pursuit of national objectives.
, climate
, topography
and size play a major role in the ability of a nation to acquire national power. Location has an important bearing on foreign policy
of a nation. The relation between foreign policy and geographic location gave rise to the discipline of geopolitics
.
The presence of a water obstacle provided protection to nation states such as Great Britain
, Japan
and USA and allowed Japan to follow isolationist
policies. The presence of large accessible seaboard
s also permitted these nations to build strong navies and expand their territories peacefully or by conquest. In contrast, Poland
with no obstacle to separate from its powerful neighbours even lost its independent existence as a nation being partitioned
among the Kingdom of Prussia
, the Russian Empire
, and Austria
from 1795 onwards till it regained its independence in 1918. Climate affects the productivity of Russian agriculture as the majority of the nation is located in latitudes well north of those providing ideal conditions for farming. Conversely, Russia's size permitted it to trade space for time during the Great Patriotic War.
Elements of national power
National power is composed of various elements, also referred to as instruments or attributes; these may be grouped into two categories based on their applicability and origin - "national" and "social".- National :
- Geography.
- Resources.
- Population.
- Social :
- Economic.
- Political.
- Military.
- Psychological.
- Informational.
Geography
Important facets of geography such as location (geography)Location (geography)
The terms location and place in geography are used to identify a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term 'location' generally implies a higher degree of can certainty than "place" which often has an ambiguous boundary relying more on human/social attributes of place identity...
, climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
, topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
and size play a major role in the ability of a nation to acquire national power. Location has an important bearing on foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
of a nation. The relation between foreign policy and geographic location gave rise to the discipline of geopolitics
Geopolitics
Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
.
The presence of a water obstacle provided protection to nation states such as Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and USA and allowed Japan to follow isolationist
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
policies. The presence of large accessible seaboard
Seaboard
Seaboard is a synonym for coast.Seaboard can also refer to:* Seaboard, North Carolina* Seaboard Corporation, an international agribusiness company...
s also permitted these nations to build strong navies and expand their territories peacefully or by conquest. In contrast, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
with no obstacle to separate from its powerful neighbours even lost its independent existence as a nation being partitioned
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
among the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
from 1795 onwards till it regained its independence in 1918. Climate affects the productivity of Russian agriculture as the majority of the nation is located in latitudes well north of those providing ideal conditions for farming. Conversely, Russia's size permitted it to trade space for time during the Great Patriotic War.
See also
- GeopoliticsGeopoliticsGeopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
- Power in international relationsPower in international relationsPower in international relations is defined in several different ways. Political scientists, historians, and practitioners of international relations have used the following concepts of political power:...
- Composite Index of National CapabilityComposite Index of National CapabilityThe Composite Index of National Capability is a statistical measure of national power created by J. David Singer for the Correlates of War project in 1963. It uses an average of percentages of world totals in six different components. The components represent demographic, economic, and military...
- Comprehensive National PowerComprehensive National PowerComprehensive National Power is a putative measure, important in the contemporary political thought of the People's Republic of China, of the general power of a nation-state...
- National Power IndexNational Power IndexNational Power scores are the product of an index combining the weighted factors of GDP, defense spending, population, and technology. Scores are calculated by the International Futures computer model and are expressed as a state’s relative share...