A potential superpower is a sovereign state or other polity that is speculated to be or have the potential to become a superpower; a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to exert influence and project power on a global scale through economic, military, technological, political, and/or cultural means.[1][2][3]
After the United States, which, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, is currently considered to be the world's foremost[4] and sole widely undisputed[5]—and by some accounts only[6][7][8]—superpower, only China, the European Union, India, and Russia have consistently been academically discussed as potential superpowers of the 21st century, with Japan having been a former candidate in the 1980s.
- ^ Munro, André. "superpower". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ Leonard, Mark (18 February 2005). "Europe: the new superpower". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ McCormick, John (2007). The European Superpower. Palgrave Macmillan.
- ^ Lee, Yen Nee (2020-09-17). "The U.S. is still a dominant power — but it's not clear if it remains the global leader". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ Mathew Burrows, Robert A. Manning (2020-08-17). "What Happens When America Is No Longer the Undisputed Super Power?". The National Interest. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ Bremmer, Ian (2015-05-28). "5 Reasons Why the US Remains the World's Only Superpower". TIME. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ Canada Among Nations, 2004: Setting Priorities Straight. McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. 17 January 2005. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7735-2836-9. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
The United States is the sole world's superpower.
- ^ Dannatt, Richard (2024-04-14). "America has just reminded us there is only one world superpower". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-07-15.