Military strength in 2018. The US is still the world’s superpower but look whose right behind us
Bottom Line: History has been cruel to the world’s superpowers. At some point all have fallen. It’s one of many reasons why it’s important not to take our status as the world’s leading superpower for granted. Do you think at the peak of the Roman and Ottoman Empires they thought they’d fall? Annually the Global Firepower Report demonstrates the military strength of each county. The United States is on top but the countries right behind us put many of today’s biggest stories and events in perspective. Here at the top five for 2018...
- #5: France
- #4: India
- #3: China
- #2: Russia
- #1: United States
This demonstrates, in a simple way, the stakes with Russian relations along with the risks of Chinese tensions. The biggest surprise might be India checking in at number four. They’ve quietly become a super power themselves and are a real wildcard, especially given their proximity to China, if military tensions escalated. As for Israel, it checks in at number 16 this year, while Iran is up to 13 and Turkey is 9th. This once again illustrates the threat that Israel faces. Meanwhile, North Korea is up to 18th in military power which ranks ahead of counties like Spain, Australia and Canada (24th). The world’s constantly changing and it’s important that we never take relative peace and prosperity for granted – or history will once again repeat itself.