Part V of the Special Series for Global Power and Leadership: a collaboration between WGI.WORLD (World Geostrategic Insights) and CGPS (Center for Global Peace and Security).
By Sunny Lee – Founder and President at CGPS (Center for Global Peace and Security), and Director at IKUPD (Institute for Korea-U.S. Political Development), Washington DC.
Global society has focused on social power beyond national boundaries, where cosmopolitans happily live together and share the same goals in the sense of colleagues. Social power with the communal concept of the international society signifies global governance of transnational affiliation to resolve variable agendas related to general security and crisis in the world.
Especially, there are humongous global-scale dilemmas that an individual country can’t resolve by itself and should cooperate with the international society such as climate crisis, food shortage, poverty, pandemic diseases, and drug crimes.
Major concept of global governance describes organizations that lively coordinate the behavior of transnational actors between states or non-states with a variety of types beyond national boundary. As well, they facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes and alleviate collective problems by broadly making, monitoring, and enforcing rules and regulations based on human societies. Currently, the United Nations is the top first organization which successfully promotes global governance and creates future vision with prominent leadership.
Nonetheless, overall global governance system led by the U.S. as the only superpower has been amplified but its fundamental structure faces challenges with more critical factors. Even though the United States absolutely dominates the international society, its dogmatic gesture may be screwy when it comes to dealing with worldwide issues, for which it relatively counts on alliance. For example, the G20, the EU, BRICS, and AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) are more competent as a practical organization to handle global economic issues beyond the national boundary of the United States or China as an individual power. They have collective social power by affiliating each other to impact on the world economy.
Social power has two sides: hard power and soft power at the country level as an important part of the contemporary international atmosphere, which is more likely soft power. It is defined as the ability to set standards as well as to create norms and values for legitimate and desirable solutions without relying on coercion or individual interests. A global perspective on the role of social power has been concentrated mainly on the UN, the EU, the US, the Middle East, and China with backgrounds of hard and soft power.
Therefore, it is very critical to explore the interaction between state and non-state actors, focusing on the key aspects of social power based on centrality, complexity, and comprehensiveness at the same time. Social power ultimately offers a thought-provoking perspective on how power is exercised in the complicated reality of the contemporary world, determining the effective outcome of global agendas beyond national boundaries.
Supreme System of Global Governance
Global governance encompasses a wide range of issues, including economic development, trade, human rights, and environmental protection for communal human life. Moreover, such detrimental issues are constantly exploding as abrupt challenges against global peace and security rise in speed. As a result, new actors or organizations to resolve problems propel more directly to get entangled with the global system.
There are critical conductors to fulfill missions and goals of global governance.
First, it is ‘a sovereign country’ which creates variable agendas and processes its successful outcome. It also establishes intergovernmental organizations and determines their missions by setting up international law and norms. But there is a big gap between countries that superpowers usually lead this process. So far, the United States would be the most influential country with a superpower position in the international society.
Second, it is ‘IGO (Intergovernmental Organization)’ constituted by sovereign countries as the main factor of global governance. It encourages each country’s activities that variable organizations passionately cooperate with each other for better process. The UN, WTO, IMF, OSCE, COE, ILO, and INTERPOL have been representative cases as successful role models.
Third, it is ‘NGO (Non-governmental Organization)’ with over 6,500 acting in variable fields, which increases the opportunity to take part in global governance. Even though an NGO doesn’t have legal status by international law, its domestic activities are legally guaranteed by state law or regulations. It generally includes non-profit, private organizations which operate their missions out of government control such as American Red Cross, Save the Children, Oxford International, the Salvation Army and Amnesty International.
Fourth, it is ‘expert’ with deep knowledge and experience related to complicated issues for effective resolution. Such a knowledge community composed of government organizations, research institutions, private companies, and college professionals of variable countries strives to resolve complex issues or dilemmas. Experts sometimes play a central key role to link issues to appropriate organizations through policy networks.
Fifth, it is a ‘multinational cooperation’ which has business operations to generate revenue beyond its country borders. Especially, global mega companies have shifted the function and structure of the global economy with 80% of the world’s industrial production. They are recognized as a global conductor and influencer which manages transnational scale of resources and assets as transcending the capability of individual countries.
The supreme system of global governance to activate social power on the global stage includes the UN, WTO and IMF. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also encourage a strong legal system to result in practical outcomes. They focus on not only communal goals but also leverage of general human value. Without such superior systems, the global society will struggle with consistent dilemmas and confusion.
Especially, the UN comprises specialized agencies, programs and funds to work on issues related to health, education, climate change, and security. The UN mostly covers international issues as the biggest IGO that 193 member states involve global agendas focusing on peace and security. Even though its resolution is not mandatory by law, authority is inevitably influential on resolving issues. As well, the WTO sets rules for international trade to solve disputes between member states which should comply. The IMF provides financial assistance to countries facing economic crises and promotes international monetary cooperation.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change negotiated by 196 Parties established a framework to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The global ecosystem would be seriously damaged by climate change which fatally dilapidated general human life. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights explores fundamental human rights recognized and protected by countries around the world. China’s inhuman torture to ethnic minority and North Korea’s human rights violation have awaked human dignity and value in the world.
Global Social Power
In terms of global social power, the US News & World Report 2024 defines the top five critical factors to list 10 Global Superpowers with a total average score of leadership, economic power, political power, military power, and international alliance. The United States is absolutely top first with GDP $26,950 billion and next China ($17,700 billion) and Russia ($1,860 billion) follow up with a huge gap. There is also from 4th to 10th such as Germany ($4,430 billion), the UK ($3,330 billion), Korea ($1,710 billion), France ($3,050 billion), Japan ($4,230 billion), Saudi Arabia ($1,070 billion), and the UAE ($509 billion).
Leadership in the international society is the core factor as targeting global social power more than economic or military power. For example, even though India is 5th in economy and 4th in military, it is far from the superpower list. India is in conflict with Pakistan and China, while the nuclear threat is getting worse. On the contrary, it is so ironic that China in 2nd and Russia in 3rd are very belligerent against global security and peace by focusing on their national interests. As well, Japan obviously dares to reveal its national selfishness by discharging Fukushima nuclear wastewater and seriously contaminating the global ecosystem.
Global Risk Report 2024 by World Economic Forum shows how environmental crisis is serious as it ranks 1st extreme weather event, 2nd critical changes to Earth systems, 3rd biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, 4th natural resource shortages, and 10th pollution. It proves that Japan’s wastewater release involves general crises in the global environmental system. China, Russia and Japan’s malicious behavior against international leadership have threatened global security in danger. Moreover, Saudi Arabia and UAE exploit oil to win the hegemony war with the U.S., which severely deteriorates the world economy.
Time Magazine selected the Global Risks for 2024 mostly involved in superpowers to test their leadership, holding a main key to solving problems. Especially, two wars in Europe and the Middle East as the greatest risk have shifted the fundamental structure of the global security system. As fast as ending the Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamas War, overall superpowers’ position will be changed or reformed.
First, it is a negative signal of the United States that U.S. foreign policy weakens America’ position on the global stage. Even though the United States keeps the superpower position in military and economy, its political system is getting dysfunctional by undermining U.S. credibility internationally since the Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamas War. The U.S. might have to allow more aggressive challenges toward its omnipotent hegemony.
Second, it is the Middle East on the Brink. Although no country involved in the Gaza conflict tends to trigger a regional crisis, the conflict exacerbates the global economy, widens geopolitical divisions, and ultimately fuels global extremism.
Third, it is Ukraine’s inevitable partition. Even though the United States and NATO have strongly supported Ukraine, its territorial losses could be expanded in the shortage of weapons and realistic military strategy. If Ukraine takes bigger military risks in advance, including strikes on more targets inside Russia, it will provoke unprecedented Russian responses. If Trump wins, the U.S. might stop supporting Ukraine, falling into a desperate situation.
Fourth, it is ungoverned AI’s dreadful aspects in advanced industrial technology. If technology outstrips AI governance and tech companies remain largely unconstrained, far more powerful AI models might spread rapidly out of government control. AI computers could intimidate people to mandate human activities beyond an individual’s managing capacity.
Fifth, it is China’s collapsing symptoms. Despite Xi Jinping’s radical pivot toward large-scale consumer stimulus and structural reform, China’s economy is underperforming with financial fragilities in a crisis of public confidence. Huge gaps in the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership capabilities surely increase the risk of social instability.
Sixth, it is the fight for critical minerals as a crucial component in virtually every sector which drives growth, innovation and national security. It ranges from clean energy to advanced computing technology, biotechnology, transportation and even defense. Governments will intensify industrial policies and trade restrictions which disrupt the flow of critical minerals.
Seventh, it is El Nino’s back with a powerful climate pattern. Extreme weather changes trigger food insecurity, increase water stress, spread disease, and agitate political stability. Many countries weakened due to the pandemic fearfully going through energy and food shortage created by the climate crisis. Now, North Korea recalls millions of people’ death around the 1990s.
Eighth, it is the global inflation exerting an economic and political drag via most countries. High interest rates caused by overheated inflation will diminish growth around the world and governments will be paralyzed unable to stimulate growth or respond to shocks, heightening risk of financial stress, social discrepancy and political instability.
Invisible Leadership beyond National Boundary
It was so curious when Xi Jinping emphasized global governance in favor of international cooperation through the Chinese Conference on Collective Learning in 2016. By that time, he had already decided on the possibility of an attack on Taiwan, thus endangering global security.
Nonetheless, he would criticize severely that the United States manipulates the original purpose of global governance to keep up its superpower hegemony. On the contrary, the United States has frequently denounced China’s human rights violation and nondemocratic systems against international law and norm.
Chen Dongxiao, Dean of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies diagnoses that the current system of global governance is not rightful or fair as a world order because the U.S. originally established it for its national hegemony. As the substitute, he suggests setting up a more equal and comprehensible policy system to resolve the global security crisis through reciprocal or multiple security alliance. He emphasizes that China’s ‘New Security Initiatives’ represents such a global vision to replace a world order led by the United States.
Since Xi Jinping proudly announced ‘the Belt and Road Initiative’ as a premier international development program in 2013, China has offered Chinese alternatives to global governance. The harsh process would undermine the U.S. preferences for international order as the biggest challenge. Such a global blueprint destroys not only the U.S. hegemony but also contemporary global governance systems based on international norms and values to implant the ‘Chinese Dream.’
An extreme gap to understand social power between the United States and China has been a substantial obstacle to impede their leadership in the international society. Social power would be strengthened by invisible leadership in the variable fields through volunteering activities beyond hard power. For example, ‘American Red Cross’ and ‘World Vision’ recognized as the best nonprofit humanitarian organization have conducted the prominent mission for human society and subsequently reinforced global influence and leadership of the U.S.
The United States has supported Ukraine with $100 billion so far and strived to resolve Israel-Hamas conflicts. All these supports bear from American values based on democratic system to reconcile military conflicts as not a hegemony country but a leading country for global peace and security. Such an invisible role with soft power and hard power at the same time has been already proved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War by defeating communism. Now, the Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamas War have deepened the invisible leadership of the United States going through the world.
China is the most potential country to challenge the social power of the United States, eager to expand its power structure based on national interests. Xi Jinping believed that economic leverage with undeveloped countries could ensure China’s superpower position by beating the United States. Unfortunately, its ambition for economic consolidation has resulted in failure, also damaging China’s social power. Currently, China is facing not only serious economic difficulties, but also the dismantling of its national identity.
Social Power and Global Leadership
Global governance is the best system to strengthen each country’s social power through cooperation and negotiation without military war or conflicts. Even though the world integrated government doesn’t exist, global governance successfully conducts its mission that most countries willingly participate in the resolution process by cooperation. Especially, worldwide dilemmas such as global-scale security, ecosystem, economy, and crimes require multiple assistance and cooperation between countries that just one country can’t solve by itself.
Global governance is based on an organized system to leverage its mission and resolution beyond national boundaries. Through such organizations, many countries cooperate with each other on a regional or global level. Nonetheless, social power in the global society has been excessively accumulated in the United States as ‘American Red Cross’ stands for global leadership. Moreover, its position in the UN is transcendental compared to other major powers whenever global issues pop up.
Currently, the United States is the only superpower in the world, but its social power focuses on global leadership based on peace and security.
On the contrary, China is striving to enhance its social power to take over global hegemony by economic exploitation through undeveloped countries, violating global standards or international norms.
Therefore, social power should be based on global leadership in dealing with critical issues through global governance. Because no country is able to exist by itself, the world should advance toward the same direction for global peace and security. It means that social power comes from global leadership by not only an individual country but also variable global organizations based on humanistic value. It is also possible when national boundaries of prejudice or discrepancy would be demolished to become a real cosmopolitan.
Sunny Lee – Founder and President at CGPS (Center for Global Peace and Security), and Director at IKUPD (Institute for Korea-U.S. Political Development), Washington DC. Sunny Lee is the author of 115 academic books in politics (original English and in German, French, Russian, Polish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese). She is a bestseller writer not only in politics but also in literature on Amazon. Her recent book is titled: “The Influence on Humankind’s Peace through Korean Reunification: Creating new paradigm in social science by interdisciplinary research.”
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).