Meaning and Definition, Elements and Limitations of National Power

List everything you would check before betting on which of two countries would win a prolonged standoff — land, people, money, army — and then, harder to weigh, the will of its leaders and the mood of its citizens. That list is exactly what this topic asks you to name and organise.

In two minutes

National power is made up of a set of tangible and intangible elements — geography, population, resources, economy, military strength, leadership, national character and morale, ideology and diplomacy — each checked by real limitations: international law, world public opinion and the balance of power.

The rest of this chapter

The full explanation, the cheat sheet, every previous-year question at every mark weight, the quiz and the answer skeletons are part of Political Science – III: International Relations on LexBlox Semester. Sign in to unlock the subject, or read Module 1 of Legal Language and Writing free.