In this day an age where a country can attack another country without leaving the comfort of their homes and access to another countries information can be gained by the internet. Do you think the military has as big an effect on a countries ability to be a global superpower.
A military does not necessarily mean a group of people fighting to protect the nation, it could also mean a group of people who are armed. Many of the countries in today's world are armed with nuclear weapons that can destroy half of the world from the comfort of a home. An article from The Diplomat states that China has all the "elements of power - an extensive industrial base, a strong state, and a nuclear-armed military" (Pei). This statement clearly shows that even though the world has evolved from World War II where people don't find the need to go out and battle with other military groups to win a war, a military base is an important aspect of making a country a global superpower. Other sources believe that in order to become a global superpower a country needs to be equipped with an "overpowering military" (World War II: The Rise of the Superpowers). Countries have evolved from the idea of a large quantity of man power, to having higher risk equipment, which includes any sort of nuclear weapon. It is stated in the question above that much of the information regarding other countries can be found on the internet, however, a global superpower needs to have the ability find top secret information somehow, something that not all people can do. Having intelligent people and powerful nuclear weapons does mean that a country has less focus on the number of people in the military, however, the military does have a strong affect on the ability to become a global superpower with these two "weapons."
Bibliography:
http://apac2020.thediplomat.com/feature/china’s-not-a-superpower/
http://www.novelguide.com/ReportEssay/history/world-war-i-ii/world-war-ii-rise-superpowers
