Politics

Currently, the United States has the relatively undisputed position of being the most powerful country in the world. Since Gorbachev signed power over to Yeltsin on Christmas day 1991, we have been living in a unipolar world. The shift from communism to a liberal democracy in Russia meant that the ideological war was over and global democratization was sure to follow. With the rise of China as a viable opponent to the United States I am asking a few questions...

What does it mean to be number 1 and is it even relevant in the modern world? If it matters, how do we keep it?

What does it mean to be number 1? Is it economic power?

According to the IMF, nominal GDP for the United States is roughly 7 trillion dollars higher than China. Despite the quality of Chinese goods being questioned, GDP PPP favors China by ~5 trillion dollars over the United States. So is the economic challenge relevant? Yes and no. States do not simply bow down to whoever has the largest economy at the time. Even if China held the title of the largest economy in the world, can it just walk into France and start dictating terms because the number next to China is bigger than the one next to France? Absolutely not. What China can do is make deals and use capital to influence policy. Look at China's use of debt-trap diplomacy in Africa. It has the ability to directly invest in areas and support politicians that help secure Chinese interests. Projecting power isn't exclusive to superpowers, its just easier for them to do so.

Does it even matter? Nuclear weapons exist. Hard power and economics mean nothing to nuclear annihilation. Their existence means that a state who controls nuclear arms can draw a hard line against any power in the world.