Measuring National Power

Reports the results of a two-day workshop that brought together a diverse group of modelers, specialists in international relations, and thinkers about power from both the public and the private sectors to consider how to measure state power and the power of non-state actors, and forms of “soft” power. On the first day, the group discussed state power on three levels: resources or capabilities, or power in being; (2) how that power is converted through national processes; (3) and power in outcomes, or which state prevails in particular circumstances. The second day focused on the changing state system. States now have more competitors — so called non-state actors. They range from terrorists and drug traffickers to advocacy groups, think tanks, and private corporations. Participants discussed how both states and non-state actors wield power on a continuum ranging from persuasion, through economic aid, to military action. The group’s members agreed that their next steps should be to improve formulations and enhance models for forecasting power, and to develop scenarios as a means of adding vividness and exploring discontinuities.