Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.

When World War II started on September 1, 1939, the German army contained 3.74 million soldiers and 103 divisions.

Important benefits often accrue to states that behave in an unexpected way.

In an ideal world, where there are only good states, power would be largely irrelevant.

The most dangerous states in the international system are continental powers with large armies.

A state's potential power is based on the size of its population and the level of its wealth.

China, in short has the potential to be considerably more powerful than even the United States.