The perception of national power

Traditional political science has emphasized the role of Indeed, balance of and spheres of influence are basic terms in much descriptive analysis. Catlin has stated in Systematic Politics (1962, p. 79) that all politics is by its nature power politics. Moreover, various theories on the causes of war, such as Organski's (1958, p. 332), speak of war being due to changes in power; but few of these theories specify in quantitative terms exactly what is meant by the phrase national power. Ransom (1968, p. 368) states, In a significant study of how power as a concept is used in college teaching Dennis G. Sullivan [1963] analyzed leading international relations textbooks and discovered seventeen different definitions of power, usually discussed in a 'basic concepts' chapter. Napoleon's quip about the power of the Pope-How many divisions does he have? -testifies to the impression that power depends on military strength. But does power stem from military considerations alone, or does it depend on population, degree of industrialization, and type of govern-