What makes a great power

Looking at many of these time/national geographic magazines,BBC,CNN and other news items it is interesting howmuch great powers dominate and affect the media... Just one small example to how powerful they really are is the fact of how sometime they can sway political opinions.

Due to the fast growth of other nations and their impending dominance over the media and other global politics I am forced to re-think and add afew more countries to my great power list.... after all, future great powers can un/balance political stability,create an impact on a mass population of people and create all new threats in the future.It is important that we find out just which nations are true players in this world today

clearly defined greatpowers.

France (European Union)
United Kingdom (European Union)
Germany (European Union)
China
Japan
United States (superpower)
Russia

Nations somewhat defined in this catagory
India
Italy

Future great powers
Brazil

minimal evidence of future great powers
Pakistan
South Africa
South Korea
Egypt
Indonesia
Mexico
Canada
Australia
Spain

So what truly makes a nation a great power? how will we ever know when a nation has truely taking its place as a globalpower? I have found many common traits between great powers-

-former empires (Napoleonite empire france) the brief third Riech (Germany) Japanese empire,Chinese empire,US domination etc

-UNSC permanent membership
-G8
-Global cities,e.g London,paris,New york,tokyo,shanghai
-population (all current defined great powers exceed a population of 50million

minimal trait
-temperate/moderate climates
-languistics
-currency strength

Am i missing any nations? is there not real clear definition of a great power!

your posts would be great!





[edit on 6-6-2007 by southern_Guardian]

[edit on 6-6-2007 by southern_Guardian]

The size of the stick

The power of a nation consistis in is its ability to impose its will on other nations and to prevent them, in turn, from imposing their will on it.

A great power is one that can do this to its neighbours, and theoretically to the great majority of other nations, too; a nation, in other words, that fears few others, or none.

That's really all there is to it.