World Power and Population

There are many obvious things which we take for granted, of which however it is necessary to remind ourselves occasionally; not only in order to obtain a better understanding of our situation; but also because what is obviously true today has an awkward way of ceasing to be true tomorrow.

Let us begin with one of these obvious statements. The United States is a world power. What precisely do we mean by this? It means that statesmen all over the world, planning their countries’ foreign policies, have to take into account what the United States may think or do; indeed further, that the United States is in a position to influence, by methods ranging from tactful suggestions to open threats, events anywhere in the world. (It is of course by no means implied that it is either wise or expedient for the United States always so to intervene; or that past decisions to intervene, or not to intervene, have always been soundly judged.) In this sense, it is clear, the United States is a world power, and Mexico is not—important though Mexico’s foreign policy decisions may be to her immediate neighbors.

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Colin Clark

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There are many obvious things which we take for granted, of which however it is necessary to remind ourselves occasionally; not only in order to obtain a better understanding of our situation; but also because what is obviously true today has an awkward way of ceasing to be true tomorrow.

Let us begin with one of these obvious statements. The United States is a world power. What precisely do we mean by this? It means that statesmen all over the world, planning their countries’ foreign policies, have to take into account what the United States may think or do; indeed further, that the United States is in a position to influence, by methods ranging from tactful suggestions to open threats, events anywhere in the world. (It is of course by no means implied that it is either wise or expedient for the United States always so to intervene; or that past decisions to intervene, or not to intervene, have always been soundly judged.) In this sense, it is clear, the United States is a world power, and Mexico is not—important though Mexico’s foreign policy decisions may be to her immediate neighbors.