Rank the Top 10 Most Powerful Countries

[zhaoyun]

Lets stick to top 5. Easier.
A. Superpowers
1. USA
2. China.

B. Great Powers
3. Germany/Japan/Russia = (Equal in their respective spheres of influence).
4. France/UK/South Korea = Equal
5. Brazil, India = Could easily get to spot #4 if they fixed their social problems.

Generally a good categorization of the powers. What makes it so hard to compare is the vastly different geographical sizes, resources and socio-economic situations of the different powers. Russia for example, is much poorer per capita wise than Germany and Japan (though the population difference isn't as big), but it commands a VAST continent sized territory that stretches from Europe to the Far East, that alone allows it to wield much more power than Germany and Japan. In addition, Russia still fields the world's second most powerful military (though China may surpass them in 10 years), so I think Russia should be a step ahead of Germany and Japan (two countries that punch above their weight, but are limited due to their small landmass).

India too is hard to quantify. It certainly has advancement in a field of industries, and it is a huge and massive country with a population over a billion and a large territory. However, it is vastly underdeveloped in so many ways, and still far from it's potential. It's hard to say that a country like South Korea is more "powerful" than India though it's Per capita strengths are so much ahead, but it is so tiny in comparison. So again, this is a challenging list to generate.

[Dylan]

How would you rank the current top 10 most powerful countries in the world? Taking into account all measure of power from military to economic to industrial to scientific to the ability to mobilize resources? Here is my ranking.

1. USA
2. China
3. Russia
4. Japan
5. India
6. Germany
7. Brazil
8. UK
9. France
10. South Korea

I'm not sure if I'd put Japan so high, simply because they lack a real military. But they're ranked so highly in everything else that its difficult to pick out where it fits

[Dylan]

1. Libya
2. Nigeria
3. Somalia
4. Mali
5. Ghana
6. Mexico
7. Guatemala
8. El Salvador
9. Random Caribbean islands
10. Random West African shitholes

Their impact on the 1st world disparate to their achievement is impressive.
Meanwhile the west displays a distinct lack of power against these invaders.

you know damn well this is bs

[Geni]

1. Albania
2. Albania
3. Albani
4. Albania
5. Albania
6. Great republic of Pushtec
7. Epirotes (albanians of south Albania that declared grecs for 300 Euro per month )
8. Megaloidiotis Greece
9. Bosnia Hercegovina (Serbian side)
10. Serbians with true illyrian origine

[DarknessInside]

1. USA
2. China
3. Russia
4. Germany
5. Japan
6. UK
7. France
8. Brazil
9. South Korea
10. India

[curupira]

I'd place Israel somewhere among the top 5.

How would you rank the current top 10 most powerful countries in the world? Taking into account all measure of power from military to economic to industrial to scientific to the ability to mobilize resources? Here is my ranking.

1. USA
2. China
3. Russia
4. Japan
5. India
6. Germany
7. Brazil
8. UK
9. France
10. South Korea

[zhaoyun]

I'm not sure if I'd put Japan so high, simply because they lack a real military. But they're ranked so highly in everything else that its difficult to pick out where it fits

Japan does have a military, it's just called a self defense force, but it is more competent than the vast majority of "militaries" in the world. Japan is also the world's 3rd largest economy and has a population of 130 Million, and is amongst the most technologically advanced states. So it's capabilities definitely allow it to rank higher than any other state on the list except for the big 3 (USA, China, Russia). Japan is definitely stronger than Germany, the UK, France, India, Brazil, etc.

[curupira]

I agree with the Israeli military expert Martin van Creveld when he said the following:

"Our armed forces are not the thirtieth strongest in the world, but rather the second or third. We have the capability to take the world down with us. And I can assure you that this will happen before Israel goes under."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003...s.bookextracts

In this world, technology is what counts mostly. Israel is said to have from 200 to 400 nuclear warheads, nuclear suitcases, neutron bombs. Which isn't hard to believe. Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, Edward Teller (the father of the hydrogen bomb), Samuel Cohen (the father of the neutron bomb), were all Jews and comitted to world Jewry. Edward Teller especially. The Israeli Air Force is one of the most sophisticated in the world. I wouldn't doubt their capability to hit any target anywhere in the world, or act covertly under the flag of another country, as Jews can be quite powerful and influential in key countries (nearly half of the US top 50 billionaires are Jews and roughly 40% of their Nobel Prize winners; in the UK Jews comprise the largest group among the richest Britons; etc). They have know how at very high levels, flexibility, and a strong sense of identity which is thousands of years old. International Jewry influence extends all over the world, a very powerful network of connections, being infiltrated in key positions everywhere, which makes them not only less vulnerable to attacks, but also capable of having access to any significant new technological development.

[zhaoyun]

I'd place Israel somewhere among the top 5.

No. Israel has a population of 9 Million people, 20% of which are Israeli Arabs, a minority at odds with the Jewish population. Israel punches far above it's weight, but it cannot be compared to real great powers, it doesn't have the resources or strength.

[RMuller]

TOP 5

1. USA
2.China
3.Russia
4.Japan
5.Germany