The Rise of China, International Civil Order and UN Peace Operations - Research Paper Example

How much of a political, economic, and military role do you feel the Chinese will play in the next decade? China has gained a lot of interest in the press recently, with many people suggesting that it could become the next global superpower. To become a superpower, China needs to play a big role in global politics, have strong economic growth and have good military strength. In the political arena, China is gaining strength through “strategic partnerships” (BBC News, 2012) with several other big nations, such as Russia.

Additionally, China is becoming part of globalization and modernization, which puts it in a political place which is stronger than ever before (Schiffer, 2013). Politics in China has also changed in the later parts of the 20th century, with it becoming more liberal and perhaps moving more towards democratization (Schiffer, 2013), although it has not yet reached the level seen in the United States or Europe. This move towards the more liberal version of politics will help China become more of a “threat” politically, as other nations take it and its political decisions more seriously in a global arena (Schiffer, 2013).

Despite this, China does not yet have the political strength it requires to be a superpower. The military in China is also an interesting concept when considering its role as a potential superpower. The military in China is still not on the level of the United States – the U.S. has 11 aircraft carriers whereas China has only recently commissioned one (BBC News, 2012). However, it should be noted that China is the most populous nation on Earth and has spent hundreds of billions of dollars in recent years trying to modernize its military forces (BBC News, 2012).

These two factors combined means that China is growing as a military power and should not be underestimated on the global scale. Where China potentially has the most potential to become a global superpower is economics. The Chinese economy has gone from strength to strength in recent years, particularly due to its role in manufacturing. Its economy is over half the size of the U.S. economy and looks to overtake the U.S. in strength by the year 2018 (BBC News, 2012), something which would place it firmly in the position of superpower.

This is partly due to the fact that China has the biggest population, rather than the modernization of the country. The technology and living standards in China are still well below that of Europe and the U.S., but this looks set to grow alongside the expanding economy and will certainly be affected by globalization as China lets more Western ideals in (Peerenboom, 2011). China’s economy will also certainly be helped by investments into technology, which are occurring as Chinese people become the biggest users of the Internet (Schiffer, 2013).

China also holds some U.S. debt, which puts it in a strong position in the global economy (BBC News, 2012). However, at the moment China does have some way to go before becoming the next big superpower, particularly due to its internal political structure and the living standards within the country. Despite this, there is some definite potential, with investment, for China to globally dominate within the 21st century. 2. In 250 words define International Civil Order and UN peace operations and you should discuss the relationship between international civil order; and UN peace operations.

The phrase International Civil Order refers to the way in which countries interact with each other in the international zone (Otto, 1996). This means that they have to behave in a way that promotes peace and growth for all nations, something which has evidently not been achieved yet. UN peace operations are missions, sanctioned and promoted by the United Nations, which are undertaken with the aim of promoting peace globally. These can include missions to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, and trying to prevent civil unrest in this area (Schiffer, 2013).

International civil order and UN peacekeeping operations have a definite relationship. The work of the UN in attempting to improve relationships between countries as well as between warring factions within those countries is instrumental in keeping the international civil order. One of the most important elements of international civil order, for example, is promoting sustainability in the environment in a way that protects countries and citizens (Schiffer, 2013). Energy and produce has often been an element in wars, as many countries feel entitled to the economic growth that these things bring to the country.

Many of the UN peacekeeping operations promote sustainability and send people to countries to help them gain economic growth in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly manner (Otto, 1996). Bibliography BBC News. 2012. “What Kind of Superpower Could China Be?” BBC, October 19, sec. Magazine. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19995218. Otto, Dianne. 1996. “Nongovernmental Organizations in the United Nations System: The Emerging Role of International Civil Society.” Human Rights Quarterly 18 (1): 107–141.

Peerenboom, Randall. 2011. “China Modernizes: Threat to the West or Model for the Rest?” OUP Catalogue. http://ideas.repec.org/b/oxp/obooks/9780199226122.html. Schiffer, Michael. 2013. “The US and Rising Powers.” The Stanley Foundation. Accessed June 13. http://www.stanleyfoundation.org//resources.cfm?id=368.