The Role Of Major Powers In Maintaining Global Peace And Stability – OpEd

The United States (USA), China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom (UK), and The European Union (EU) are the main global actors that have significant influences over the international system. They have distinct responsibilities in securing global peace and stability. In this essay, I will analyze the roles and responsibilities of these major powers in maintaining global peace and stability.

The United States of America:

The United States occupies a unique position as a superpower, with global reach and ready influence in diplomacy, military alliances, and economic systems. As a founding member of NATO, the USA plays a decisive role in collective defense and security, countering aggression, and managing crises.

Moreover, the USA provides extensive foreign aid and humanitarian assistance, combating poverty and fostering democratic governance around the world. Its role extends to international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank, where it helps shape global policies affecting security and economic stability. The USA’s commitment to order and international law, using its diplomacy and military power, makes it crucial to preserving peace and preventing conflict.

Russia:

Russia possesses substantial sway on the world stage due both to its strategic position and its military capabilities. As one of the primary nuclear powers and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Russia is indispensable to international security. Its geographic reach extends throughout Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, giving Russia great influence in those arenas.

Consequently, Russia conducts peacekeeping and conflict resolution operations in these regions to shape the outcomes according to its national interests and the broader goal of regional and international stability. Literally and figuratively, Russian policy-makers meet the world where it is by leveraging its undertakings in multilateral forums and in bilateral relations to encourage dialogue and negotiation in the protection and resolution of disputes worldwide.

France:

France’s role as a global actor takes shape in its commitment to international peace and security, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It engages vigorously in peacekeeping missions worldwide, specializing in the African continent. This has been accentuated through historical links and a matter of international stability.

Within the EU, France is a key player in encouraging policies that promote collective security and economic stability. Its involvement and diplomatic relations with international organizations highlight France’s aspiration to attain peace globally.

China:

China has become a significant worldwide governance actor due to its swift economic growth and its expanding military capabilities. Its membership at the UN Security Council as one of the permanent members enables China to partake in international diplomacy and peacekeeping missions.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative, showcasing its focus on enhancing global economic stability, is designed to achieve global goals of interconnection, intercommunication, and interrelationship through investment and infrastructure in many countries in the world. China values no interference not only in its domestic issues but also in others. This is significant of China’s wide-ranging strategy to keep on having a steady international surrounding for continuous national growth. China’s engagement in multilateral institutions in conjunction with what China does in conflict resolutions mirrors China’s recognition of its part in international peace and stability.

United Kingdom:

The United Kingdom is an important peace and security actor since it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, an active member of NATO, a key ally in regional and global peace operations, a provider of considerable levels of development aid, and an important diplomatic actor.

European Union:

The European Union (EU) is a unique supranational organization that seeks peace, economic partnership, and stability both across its member states and throughout the world at large. One of the largest providers of international development aid and humanitarian emergency response, the EU wields its economic power to further global stability.

The EU encourages dialogue and cooperation in unstable regions through its foreign policy, security architecture, and diplomacy. By privileging multilateralism and the rule of law, the EU encourages a sort of international interaction ordered by a set of common principles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, maintaining global peace and stability is an integral and multifarious role for the USA, Russia, France, China, the UK, and the EU. Each of these countries/powers has unique attributes and skills to bring to the international system. Strengths may lie in their military capability, economic leverage, diplomatic connections, and contributions to global institutions. Their actions and policies together shape the world and set the tone for peace and stability across regions. As the world grapples with complex problems of regional conflict, terrorism, and economic instability, the cooperation and leadership of these major countries/powers are vital to establishing a stable and peaceful world order.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own.

References

• Hanhimäki, J. M. (2008). The United Nations: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Ikenberry, G. J. (2011). Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order. Princeton University Press.
• Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. PublicAffairs.
• Smith, K. E. (2003). European Union Foreign Policy in a Changing World. Polity Press.
• Tsygankov, A. P. (2012). Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin: Honor in International Relations. Cambridge University Press.