University of Buckingham Virtual Learning Environment

This module seeks to examine the current as well as the changing balance of power among three of the most powerful global actors within United Nations Security Council with the aim of understanding the character, limits and reach of their powers. The demise of the Soviet Union in 1992 marked the beginning of a unipolar world order in which the United States was the world's only remaining superpower. However, this unipolar moment seems to have been shorter than initially thought particularly with the rise of China and the re-emergence of Russia as great powers. The module adopts Realist and Marxist theoretical approaches to critically analyse the relationship among these global actors as well as the extent of their influence and their rivalry on different parts of the planet. The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the political, economic, social, historical and geo-strategic factors which inform their rivalry at the beginning of the 21^st Century.