Paper 3 Global Politics · Power and developments
Power and developments - paragraph completion
2 paragraphs argue one side. You write the rebuttal and the interim judgement.
How this works. Each pre-written opening argues one side. Your job is the rebuttal: answer it with the named evidence, then end on an interim judgement. Your writing saves on this device.
Paragraph 1 · theme: Hard power
Evaluate the view that hard power is the most important form of power in global politics.
The opening (given) - rebut this
Hard power is often dismissed as a blunt instrument that no longer decides outcomes: it is ruinously expensive, provokes nationalist backlash, and could not turn military victory into stable order in Iraq or Afghanistan. On this view soft and structural power shape the world more durably, and hard power is the least important form.
Your task - write the rebuttal
Answer back using: Russia 2022 as raw military coercion; the realist view (Waltz, Mearsheimer) that capability is what counts; sanctions and frozen reserves as economic hard power. Finish with an interim judgement that backs your line of argument.
Paragraph 2 · theme: Soft and structural power
Evaluate the view that hard power is the most important form of power in global politics.
The opening (given) - rebut this
Soft power is often called the form that really matters now - the EU expands by being wanted, and cultural exports buy reach no army could. On this view attraction, not coercion, builds lasting influence.
Your task - write the rebuttal
Answer back using: soft power decays and cannot compel an adversary; Iraq and Afghanistan show attraction cannot hold territory; Strange's structural power as the deeper rule-setting force. Finish with an interim judgement that backs your line of argument.