What are Great Powers?

Great Power Competition is a term frequently thrown around today. The concept essentially means there is no single country strong enough to tell everyone what to do.  (Think the USA after the fall of the Soviet Union, 1991 ~ 2010.)  Nor are there 2 Super Powers that divide the world into 2 opposing sides / spheres of influence (Think USA and Soviet Union 1945 ~ 1991.)  Instead, we’re more likely in an era like pre - World War 1, where there are many countries who are all large enough, and strong enough to try and influence other countries to do what they want.

What’s the key difference with the WW1 era? Our interdependent economies, the power of our militaries (i.e. nuclear weapons), and shared climate challenges. Mutually assured destruction from nuclear weapons, the high cost of going to war due to our unprecedented levels of economic connectivity, and the shared enemy of climate change will make the next era of geopolitics unique in world history, and the crux of the game.

- Ian