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Power Concept

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7 views4 pages

Power Concept

essay

Uploaded by

zainjabbar822
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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POWER CONCEPT, MEANING, NATURE, KINDS,

METHODS, DIMENSIONS, ROLE & USE OF POWER Commented [r1]:

Power is the crux of politics, local, national, and international. The relation
between the state and power is very close. In the words of Hartman,
‘’power lurks in the background of all relations between sovereign
states’’. All inter-state relations are ultimately relations of power politics.
Politics is nothing other than the pursuit and exercise of power, and
political relations are mainly power relations. The study of international
relations reveals that power has been the most crucial means for
achieving national interests. That is why every nation wants to attain, maintain,
and utilize power. It is both an end as well a means of international politics.

The position of a state in the comity of nations is determined not by


its civilization culture or literary contribution but by its power.

Power, Force, Influence, and Authority


Power, influence, authority, and capability are related terms and are often used
interchangeably and loosely.

In ancient India, the master of statecraft, Kautilya, wrote about power in the
fourth century B.C. as the possession of strength (an attribute) derived from
three elements: knowledge, military, and valor. Twenty-three centuries later,
Hans Morgenthau, following Kautilya’s realistic line, preferred to define power
as a relationship between two political actors in which actor A can control the
mind and actions of the actor B.

1. Force is the exercise of power by means of coercion.


2. Influence is the power by means of persuasion.
3. Authority is the power with legitimacy.

Note: these all are the ingredients of power. This is also according to the
Couloumbis and Wolfe.
Capability:
Some scholars like Lerche and Said have used the term capability instead of power
because the latter lays an over-emphasis on coercion, which they don’t like. According
to them, capability is always the ability to do something, to act purposefully in an actual
situation. Power also implies this, and popularly power often becomes a status to which
states aspire and which a few achieve.

National Power
The power possessed by a nation-state is known as a national power. In the words of
Padelford and Lincoln, National power is the total of the strength and capabilities of a
state harnessed and applied to the advancement of its national interests and attaining
its national objectives.

Kinds of Power:
There are three types of power, which are explained below:

1. Physical Power:

Physical power is the physical ability of a state to deal with security, economic, political,
and social challenges of the state, either national or international. These includes:

 Military strength.
 Geographical factors such as natural defenses and resources like mountains,
rivers, minerals, and arable lands.
 Population.
 Technology.
2. Psychological Power:

The psychological power of a state refers to its ability to influence perceptions, beliefs
and attitudes, both domestically and internationally, through non-physical means.
These includes:

 National identity and morale: which is a strong sense of national unity, pride,
and ability to maintain morality during the time of crises.
 Soft power: promotions of culture and ideals.
 Leadership and vision.
 Public opinion management: building trust and credibility among members of
the state.
 Psychological warfare: mostly related to fifth generation warfare by spreading
disinformation, cyber propaganda, and fear tactics.

3. Economic Power:

Methods of Exercising Power:


1. Persuasion:

Most of the delegates of international organizations employ this method and


persuade. Small nations largely rely on this less expensive method because they
lack the power and means to coerce.

2. Rewards:

3. Punishment:

4. Force:

Dimensions of Power:
Deutsch gives three dimensions of power, these dimensions are as follows:

1. Domain of Power:

Domain answers the question, over whom power is exercised. Power is often
exercised over people, territory, and wealth. The domain can be divided into
internal domain and external domain. In the context of international relations,
only the external domain is relevant. It means the ability of nation-states to
exercise their power outside their territorial limits.

2. Range of Power:

Deutsch defines range as the difference between the highest reward (or
indulgence) and the worst punishment (or deprivation) that a power holder can
bestow (or inflict) upon some person in his domain. The range also has internal
and external components.

3. Scope of Power:

In Deutsch’s words, it determines how much influence a state have over its
people, decisions, resources, and other states.

Role and Use of Power:

A nation may use power in international relations for various purposes, the chief
among them are:

 National security:
 Preserving Status Quo:
The status quo policy aims to preserve the distribution of power prevalent
at any time in history. For example, from 1815 to 1848, certain European
governments pursued a status quo policy, using their power to defend
the Peace Settlement of 1815.
 Changing the Status Quo:
Nations also use the power to change the status quo in their favor or
pursue a policy of imperialism.
 Serving National Interests:
 Use in Diplomacy:
 Enhancing Prestige:

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