With regard to the observance of the United Nations order, we cannot rely entirely on the voluntary participation of all countries, but we need substantial supervision. This is just like a country's compliance with laws. We can't rely on the people's consciousness, but also have law enforcement departments like the police to maintain it. Under the condition of modern weapons, only a few big countries have the strength to maintain the post-war world order, thus ensuring world peace.
Thus, in the organizational structure of the United Nations, a class of "permanent members" has emerged.
On June 26th, 1945, the United Nations Constitutional Convention in San Francisco came to a successful conclusion and the Charter of the United Nations was issued. According to the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council is held by the United States, the Soviet Union (Russia), China, Britain and France, commonly known as the "five permanent members".
The P-5 has a very special position in the United Nations, and has veto power over all resolutions on issues in the Security Council. Theoretically speaking, any country among the five permanent members has the right to speak globally. Because when voting, it doesn't count if one of the five permanent members votes against it, even if all the other members pass.
under such rules, the "five permanent members" have a lot of room to play, and almost have the right to speak at the United nations. With the endorsement of the United Nations, such a right to speak is equivalent to the ceiling. In short, in this era, the "five permanent members" are the bearers of the earth civilization and the masters of the global order.
so there is a saying: whether the earth is chaotic or not, the P5 have the final say. As long as the opinions of the five major countries can be consistent, or there is no voice of opposition (abstention), then it is world peace; But if we have serious differences, the world may start to rise again.
According to the book, the reason why the five great powers are detached in the United Nations is mainly due to their contributions in World War II. Friends who are familiar with history know that these five countries are all victors of World War II. Among them, the United States, the Soviet Union, China and Britain were the mainstay of the victory of World War II and contributed the most. Letting them serve as "permanent members" is the greatest affirmation of their achievements in World War II.
but in fact, this is only one of the reasons. As the saying goes, while the iron is hot, you need to be hard. In this law of the jungle world, strength is always the best guarantee of status. Therefore, regarding the selection of the "five permanent members", the identity of the victorious country is only the ticket to enter the WTO, and its own strength is the real key.
In today's world, the "P5" not only have the highest voice, but also have the strongest strength. It is no exaggeration to say that even Britain, the weakest of the current five permanent members, can beat most countries in the world by itself.
As we all know, Britain is very powerful in history, and it has been invincible all over the world, almost dominating an era. In the 19th century, when Britain was at its peak, colonies spread all over the world. Almost a quarter of the land in the world belonged to their family, with a total area of over 33 million square kilometers.
At that time, someone joked that the sun would never set on British territory. Because in each of the 24 time zones around the world, you can find the British Mizi flag. Even though it is already nightfall in the British Isles, the sun can still be seen overhead in the Indian subcontinent. So Britain at that time was also known as the "empire where the sun never sets".
But everyone has a glorious moment. Don't take this moment as eternity. In the 2th century, with the rise of a number of new talents such as Germany and the United States to seize the market, Britain began to decline. The two wars of World War I and World War II have devastated Britain, which is not rich in life. By the end of World War II, Britain had basically lost its qualification for global hegemony and became a supporting role.
Today, Britain is still struggling on the downhill road, getting farther and farther away from the peak. However, the lean camel is bigger than the horse. As an empire that dominates the world, even if Britain is in decline, its family wealth is not comparable to that of ordinary countries.
For example, in terms of economy, although Britain is not as rich as before, it is still one of the most important economies in the world and plays a very important role in the world economic system.
Take the frequently mentioned GDP data as an example. In 221, the total GDP created by Britain reached 3.19 trillion US dollars, equivalent to 21.27 trillion yuan, ranking fifth among countries in the world. If calculated according to the population of 67 million, Britain's GDP in 221 will exceed 47, US dollars, equivalent to 313, RMB.
Obviously, this economic data of Britain is undoubtedly quite beautiful, with a proper high income level. It is worth mentioning that Britain is not a local tyrant country like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, relying on resource export to achieve wealth freedom.
As a serious developed country, Britain has a very sound economic system, with diversified and high-end development of various economic industries.
For example, in the field of agriculture, Britain has already completed the modernization of agriculture, replacing manpower with machinery. According to statistics, at present, every agricultural labor force in Britain can own a tractor, while two people can own a harvester. This mechanized planting mode will undoubtedly have high production efficiency.
At present, the agricultural population in Britain is less than 5,, accounting for only 1.6% of the total labor force. But such a small number of people can basically meet the agricultural production needs of Britain. Almost equivalent to a British farmer, he can feed more than 13 British people.
In fact, most of these so-called British "farmers" are professional farmers who have been trained and have professional qualification certificates. They are all versatile, and they are proficient in purchasing means of production and driving machinery.
In the industrial field, Britain is an old industrial power with developed technology. Although Britain has hollowed out its economy and reduced its industrial scale in recent years, its core industries have not been lost. At the level of high-end industries, Britain is still competitive.
Take the aero-engine as an example. As the heart of an airplane, it is a very complicated machine, involving a wide range of industrial technologies, such as metallurgy, materials and machining. Therefore, aero-engines are also known as a jewel in the industrial crown, which is the main reference to measure the industrial level of a country. < P > Generally speaking, the industrial level of any country that can independently develop and manufacture aero-engines will not be too bad. And Britain can not only independently develop and manufacture, but also make it very level.
There is a century-old engine manufacturer in Britain, which is called rolls royce Company, or Rolls-Royce for short. This company is famous in the industry and is one of the three largest aircraft engine manufacturers in the world. Whether in the military market or the civilian market, Rolls-Royce occupies a large market share. A large number of planes that we are familiar with, such as Boeing 737 and rafale fighter, all use their engines.
Of course, apart from Rolls-Royce, there are actually many industrial giants in Britain. For example, in the welding industry, TWI Company in Britain is recognized as an industry authority. CUPE's ultra-precision machine tool is on the ceiling of the same type of products. All in all, the heritage of an industrial power should not be underestimated.
compared with the primary and secondary industries, the performance of the tertiary industry in Britain is undoubtedly more prominent. Britain is a big financial country and occupies an important position in the international financial market. Among them, London, the capital of Britain, is one of the major financial centers in the world, and its status is comparable to that of new york and Tokyo. There is the world's largest metal exchange and the world's leading fund management center in London. More than 3% of the world's foreign exchange transactions take place in London, and about 6% of the world's international bonds are also issued from London ...
Apart from its developed economic level, Britain's military strength cannot be underestimated.
according to the data given by the global firepower index, the current total strength of the British armed forces is about 231,, including 194, active troops and 37, reserve troops. The main equipment includes about 7 military aircraft, more than 2 tanks, more than 5, armored vehicles, and nearly 8 military ships.
From the perspective of equipment scale alone, Britain's current financial resources are indeed a little hard to get, which is far from the once invincible empire in the world. Even the "five dregs of war" like Egypt and South Korea look better than Britain in terms of data.
It is also the data of global firepower index. At present, the total strength of Egypt's armed forces is about 1.23 million, and the strength of its active regular army alone has reached 45,. South Korea is even more powerful. The number of active troops can reach 555,. If it is regarded as a reserve and other paramilitary forces, the total strength is also more than one million.
In terms of major equipment, Egypt currently has about 1, military aircraft, more than 4,4 tanks and more than 24 warships. South Korea is equipped with about 1,6 military aircraft, more than 2,6 tanks and more than 23 warships.
It is obvious that the military forces of Egypt and South Korea are much larger than those of Britain. However, as the saying goes, the number of soldiers is not many, but the quality of British military strength is not low, although the scale is limited. Statistics show that Britain's current military budget is as high as $68 billion, ranking fourth in the world, more than Egypt and South Korea combined. Such a high military investment will naturally not be in vain, at least the level of equipment will not be low.
At present, the main fighters of the British Air Force are the fourth generation fighters such as typhoon fighters, and the fifth generation fighters are also being launched one after another. The army's Challenger 2 main battle tank is also a serious three-generation main battle tank. As for the maritime power, the British are equipped with two medium-sized aircraft carriers.
it is worth mentioning that most of these main battle equipment in Britain are made by ourselves. This also reflects to some extent that Britain has a good military industry foundation. As a veteran military power, Britain has a relatively complete defense industry system. From bullet helmets to tank carriers, the British can basically build them themselves.
This means that Britain can completely expand its army in a short time if it is willing. After all, few people can be recruited and factories can be built without enough equipment. I believe that with Britain's economic strength and industrial base, it is not difficult to do this.
most crucially, Britain still has a card of nuclear weapons. As one of the first countries to possess nuclear weapons in the world, Britain's nuclear weapons force is not large, but its deterrent power exists. It has the ability to carry out strategic nuclear strikes against any target on a global scale, and anyone who wants to move Britain has to weigh it.
with high-quality personnel and equipment, a solid military industry foundation and a very deterrent military nuclear force, Britain's military strength will naturally not be bad. Objectively speaking, in today's world, there will be no more than three countries that can stabilize Britain militarily.
Of course, compared with the performance of hard power in economy and military affairs, Britain's greatest advantage lies in its soft power. As once the world's number one power, Britain's accumulated wealth is not rich. Like Britain's scientific and cultural heritage, it is very profound and has a very wide influence in the world.
For example, in the field of science and technology, Britain is still at the top level in the world. According to statistics, Britain's current population accounts for less than 1% of the world's population, but people are responsible for more than 5% of the world's scientific research work, and the number of people who have won international awards in the field of science accounts for more than 1%. Among them, the number of winners of the Nobel Prize alone exceeded 8.
Britain's science and technology industry covers a wide range, and most of them are at the leading level in the world. For example, in the field of medicine, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca in the UK are both outstanding in the industry and rank among the top ten pharmaceutical giants in the world all the year round. In the field of biotechnology, Britain has a world-class R&D center like Sanger Institute.
from the perspective of scientific and technological background alone, Britain should not be inferior to any other country except the United States.
For example, in the field of culture, Britain's current influence is almost global. If nothing else, just one English can't compare with other countries. English is the most widely circulated language in the world at present, and there are more than 6 English-speaking countries in the world. In addition, more countries use English as the main learning language. It is precisely because of the wide spread of English that many international organizations and magazine awards will give priority to English as the main language.
With its linguistic advantages, Britain will have a higher popularity and affinity in the world, and its international status will naturally rise accordingly.
On the whole, although Britain's glory is gone now, its heritage is still very rich. Whether it is economic, military soft power or soft power in the fields of science, technology and culture, it can rank among the top in the world. If it is ranked, Britain's comprehensive national strength should be able to rank among the top five in the world. In other words, there are no more than four countries in the world that are stronger than Britain.
but even Britain's strength can only be said to be at the bottom of the P5. This shows how strong the strength of the P5 is. So, again, play is fun, make trouble, don't make fun of the P5.