The size of a country's military force can greatly influence political power.
A country's defence budget determines the strength of its military
Examples...
USA - 1.4m active personnel, defence budget = $689 billion
- involved in many wars e.g. Korean War, Vietnam and Global War on Terrorism
- world's largest nuclear arsenal
China - 2.3m active personnel in PLA, defence budget = $129 billion (increasing 12-15% per year)
- concerns that China will use its power to settle the ownership dispute of islands in the East China Sea - may have oil + gas reserves. 415 potential clashes between Japanese and Chinese aircraft over these islands in 2013.
Balancing military power - UN Security Council determines whether military internvention is justified or not
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