Power has always been perceived as an indicator of the military power of nations and the ability to impose their will on others; however, since I took this course, the perception has changed. There are multiple definitions of power. Power can be used to influence other nations to fulfill the host nation's intentions. Power can be interpreted, among other things, through economic influence or old-fashioned brute force. In essence, power is the means by which you give influence to nations, or generally to maintain order or get what is needed. The greatest influence on political power is money. No one can do without it and we all want more. Money can make the difference between jobs, roads, education or military strength. Without money, a country would become stagnant and be unable to accomplish anything. Therefore, withholding money is a form of power with which to cripple an adversary and force them to cooperate with another country's agenda. Cutting trade with one nation would hurt both sides, but if one economy is stronger than the other, it could push the other country to be more cooperative. The United States uses its power to influence nations through economic and political means. This power is based on the fact that the United States has an important role in controlling the free market due to the large number of exports. For example, North Korea receives humanitarian aid from the United States, this is a form of control that they have over this country because if this was stopped, people would not have as many opportunities. Another example could be China. China's economy has always relied heavily on the United States in case the United States cut off their access to our market; they would be severely crippled and their entire economy... half the paper... length, could be used to achieve the same thing. Each alternative must be considered and analyzed before making a decision that will affect many people. War is not always the first solution that is decided to solve a problem and it should be. Power is not measured only by the size of our armies or the size of our arsenals. The governments of the world and their appointed officials have an extremely difficult task to perform. In a world where it is constantly consumed; conflict, economic turmoil, racism and extremism, world leaders must be ready and able to adapt to any situation that may arise. They must realize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every situation and have the ability to determine what the bet is. That's why power is influential because it gets the point across. Works Cited Introduction to Political Science