A tentative evaluation of world power

Throughout history the decisive factor in the fates of nations has usually been the number, efficiency, and disposition of fighting forces. This power has been in the hands of a few military leaders and has generally been used for direct military domination. Now, however, we are faced with a new situation. In spite of the existence of the hydrogen bomb and the perfected guided missile, the weapons of the nations are not overwhelmingly military, for the two major camps are unlikely, short of desperation, to seek a solution in war. Instead, these two groups are now engaged in a tactical, economic, and ideological conflict on a worldwide scale aimed at achieving paramount economic and political influence rather than at conquest. It follows that the weapons of the struggle are now more varied and depend on much more than major military and diplomatic leaders. It does, however, remain largely true that national influence bears a direct relationship to gross national strength; without that, the most exquisite statesmanship is likely to be of limited use. Even without nuclear war the outcome of