Potential superpower

A potential superpower is a sovereign state or other polity that is speculated to have the potential to become a superpower–a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position and can exert influence and project power on a global scale through economic, military, technological, political, or cultural means.

The United States is currently the only country whose status as a superpower finds broad consensus, with some accounts explicitly calling it the only one. Since the mid-2020s, China has increasingly been referred to as a superpower in its own right (including by U.S. President Donald Trump). Brazil, the European Union, India, and Russia have been discussed as potential superpowers of the 21st century. Japan was a candidate in the 1980s. In spite of the perceived decline of the United States, it remains a superpower primarily due to its alliances, military capacity, soft power, and economic influence and heft.