IS AMERICA THE MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE STATE SYSTEM?

Since the end of the cold war there has been debate about the nature of world order - it has been argued that the emergence of the US as the sole superpower has created a unipolar world order, based on US hegemony.

          But to what extent is the US the most powerful nation in the state system? 

Power is a hard concept to define - it can be understood in terms of capability (the ability of a state to conduct its own affairs without interference from others) or, more commonly, in terms of influence - the ability to influence the behaviour of another state, or power over other states. In what ways does the US have power?

One way is through its military dominance. The USA has a huge military spending budget (the largest in the world, accounting for 42% of global military spending). it has 700 military bases in over 100 countries as well as an 'unchallengeable' lead in high tech weaponry. For these reasons it is thought to be the only power that can intervene militarily in any part of the world ans sustain multiple operations at the same time.

However, military prowess as a means of power may no longer be a relevant characteristic in determining whether a state is powerful globally - the nature of wars are changing from traditional conflict to asymmetrical wars in which a states military is up against a terrorist organisation and the use of guerrilla war tactics - the USA's struggle in Afghanistan and Iraq illustrate this. The use of such tactics in recent years has allowed weaker states to prevail over states which are far superior - such as America's effective defeat against north Vietnam in 1975.

The US is also incredibly economically powerful - it accounts for 32% of global spending on research and development, giving it am enormous lead over other countries. While the fast growing Chinese economy is expected to over take the US by 2020, just as Britain remained a global hegemon in the mid- twentieth century despite being overtaken by the US and Germany, the US may be able to remain the most powerful nation state when China overtakes it. However, the flaw of the US economic model were exposed during the financial crisis of 2007-9, threatening the dollar's position as the world's leading currency.

Additionally, America's soft power has been damaged by its association with corporate power and widening inequality, as well as the resentment created by theories of Globalisation as Americanisation. The US's war on terror has also damaged its reputation of being opposed to colonialism and unconcerned by imperialist gains - particularly the Iraq war which was very much illegal in the eyes of the UN. Its human rights record is also under question as details emerge from Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib

Another way the US could be considered the most powerful nation state in the system is in terms of structural power - it has a disproportionate amount of influence over NGOs as well as NATO. Despite China closing the economic gap, no other state comes close to challenging the US' influence over global economic decision making  - this was reflected in its role in instructing a global response to the financial crisis of 2007-9. However in recent years, the G20 has rivalled America's economic decision making monopoly.

The spread of the US' capitalist ideology after its cold war victory is another way it has exerted power globally - through having its consumerist culture, capitalist ideology and TNCs a part of most countries it could be said to be the most powerful nation in the state system. The Washington Consensus is further support for its global domination and the idea that America is the hegemon in a global state of unipolarity.

For these reasons I would argue that America is the most powerful nation state in the state system, however I think it will be interesting to see how this changes in the near future when China surpasses the US economy and inevitably strives to exert an increased amout of political influence globally as a result.