Hello.

My name's Ms. Ikomi and I'm a teacher from London.

I'm gonna be taking you through today's lesson, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called "Is the UK still an important international power?" It is part of the wider unit.

"How does the UK play a role in the international community?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how countries have influence on the world stage and outline the UK's influence.

The keywords we're going to hear in today's lesson are influence.

This is the power to affect or change someone's thoughts, actions, or decisions.

You've probably heard this and use this in your everyday life.

The next is hard power.

This is the ability of a state to influence other states through coercion, often using military or economic means.

And also soft power.

This is the ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than through coercion or force.

We're gonna begin by thinking about how do we measure international influence? Countries like the UK pursue foreign policy aims. These aims shape how we are seen by other nations and help to influence world events.

Sometimes the aims are obvious, like giving weapons to Ukraine during the continuing war with Russia, but other times they're more subtle, like funding specific projects in certain countries.

There are lots of people that work within foreign policy, whether it be through the government or through other organisations to try and influence our position on the world stage.

Sofia is telling us, "Foreign policy is the strategies and actions that a country takes to manage its relationships with other nations." At the same time as we are doing this, other countries are also doing this.

There are lots of different politicians who are responsible for representing the UK and our foreign policy.

It might be the Prime Minister at the time, or it might be the Secretary for State for Foreign Affairs.

It's also the people that are doing all the work in the background that are contributing to those different policies.

Some countries prefer not to actively pursue foreign policy aims. They're considered to be isolationists, that means they prefer to remain isolated or cut off from international affairs.

We can see that in that word isolationist.

For example, in the 1930s, the United States adopted an isolationist stance, they avoided involvement in European conflicts and focused on their own domestic issues.

Andeep saying, "Isolationism sounds like it could be risky.

Surely all countries need allies and friends to support them?" There are arguments both for and against them.

For example, it might be good for a country to have more independence and then they can focus on the concerns that are going to directly impact them.

However, in instances whereby there are natural disasters or conflict, it can also be really useful for countries to have other countries around to be able to support them, so we can see this argument from both sides.

The UK is not an isolationist country.

It has clear foreign policy aims. Some of these include, safeguarding the UK from threats and also reducing conflict with the UK and with other nations.

Building the UK's prosperity through trade with other nations, and also sustainable development.

Supporting British people all over the world, whether they be living, working, or on holiday in other nations.

Let's do a check of what we've learned so far.

Which of these is a UK foreign policy aim? Is it a, to safeguard the UK, b, rebuild the British Empire, or c, deploy troops in war zones? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is, a, safeguard the UK.

One way to measure international influence is by a country's ability to achieve their foreign policy aims and ultimately to shape global events.

Countries can achieve their aims and influence foreign policy by using one of our two types of power that we heard about from our keywords earlier today.

The first of these is hard power, for example, military or economic force, and using that as a way to get something done.

That next is soft power, that is persuasion and attraction, which is a softer way of, again, trying to get to the same end.

Hard power, as we said, is the ability of a state to influence through coercion, this will often use military or economic means.

An example of this is in February, 2022, Russia used military force to invade Ukraine and seize land.

This was an attempt to stop Ukraine from becoming more pro-European.

When other methods failed, Russia resorted to military aggression.

This war continues in 2025.

Another example of hard power is being used in Iran.

Iran attempted to expand its nuclear programme despite requests from the United States of America and the United Nations to stop.

In response, the USA and the European Union imposed economic sanctions on Iran.

Economic sanctions is where we economically put something into place that is going to have an impact on a country's economy.

So in this case, they limited trade and froze bank accounts.

These sanctions, of course, significant damage to Iran's economy, ultimately trying to get what they want.

Let's do another check.

Which of these is an example of hard power? Is it a, providing aid in the form of food, b, economic sanctions such as stopping trade, or c, engaging with the World Trade Organisation on a trade dispute? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is b.

Economic sanctions such as stopping trade.

We saw that in the example with Iran.

Soft power is the opposite of hard power.

It's the ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than through coercion and force.

For example, South Korea has recently expanded its soft power by exporting its culture.

Citizens from many countries have become increasingly interested in Korean music and television.

This is largely due to the global success of K-pop and popular Korean dramas.

We can see a flag of South Korea on the slide.

A further example of a country using soft power is China.

This is the flag of the people's Republic of China on the slide.

China has grown to be the second biggest educational powerhouse in the world.

China's invested money in Confucius Institutes.

These teach Chinese language and culture.

As such, nearly half a million foreign students study in China each year.

This means that lots of people have an understanding of Chinese language and culture, and therefore there is an influence around other parts of the world.

The UK is often considered a soft power superpower.

What we mean by this is that the UK is very good at using soft power to influence and have an impact on global affairs.

One key reason for this is the Commonwealth of Nations.

This helps to extend Britain's influence worldwide.

We can see on the flag there the Commonwealth flag.

The Commonwealth brings together countries for important discussions and cultural events, things like the Commonwealth Games that happen every four years.

It gives countries an opportunity to come together, build connections, and therefore the UK has an influence as being part of that organisation.

Aisha's saying, "I don't really see how soft power influences countries.

Hard power is really obvious, but soft power surely doesn't change that much?" Alex is telling us that "Soft power is more subtle.

They can still have a big impact.

It's about binding cultural understanding, which can influence public opinion.

For example, if a country is hostile towards China, but its citizens benefit from cultural exchanges, they may be less supportive of their government's stance." So that's gonna have an influence on what the government ultimately does.

Let's do another check.

Which of these is an example of soft power? Is it a, stopping all trade to a country, b, deploying troops to a country, or c, promoting a country's entertainment overseas? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is c.

Let's put this into practise.

Oakland is an imaginary island which is close to the UK.

It has an increasingly become friendly with China, which the UK Government considers to be counter to its foreign policy aims. I'd like you to explain how the UK may influence Oakland using both soft power and hard power.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to explain how the UK may influence Oakland using both soft and hard power.

You might have said, "While the UK typically prefers not to use hard power like military force, in theory, it could try to influence Oakland by coercing it through economic sanctions, like encouraging its allies to limit trade with Oakland, potentially damaging its economy.

Alternatively, the UK could apply pressure through military presence in nearby areas, though this is unlikely given the UK's usual soft power approach to foreign policy.

Such actions would aim to influence Oakland to align more closely with the UK's interests." You might have also said, "The UK's likely to prefer using soft power to influence Oakland.

This could include providing educational opportunities, such as scholarships or exchange programmes, to encourage connections between the citizens of Oakland and British culture.

The UK might send diplomats to Oakland to engage in discussions about cultural exchange and shared goals.

As Oakland is geographically close to the UK, the countries may have cultural and historical ties, making it more likely that the UK would encourage Oakland to join the Commonwealth of Nations, this would create a sense of collaboration." Next, we're going to think about whether the UK still has influence in the world.

Since 1945, the UK's global influence has changed in many ways.

In 1945, the British Armed Forces reached a peak strength of approximately 4.

9 million personnel.

By 2025, the UK's armed forces consist of approximately 180,780 personnel.

This difference shows that our influence has changed and the way that we are doing influence on a global scale looks different.

We still play an important role in international defence and security.

However, the armed forces are much smaller than during the mid-20th century.

They are also smaller than those of global superpowers like the US or Russia.

Sam says, "So, the UK may not have the same level of military power as before, but does that mean it has less influence in other areas?" This is a really good question.

The UK still has influence around the world because of its membership in lots of international organisations, so that does not mean that we necessarily need to have as much military personnel as we once did.

The UK is one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

This gives us a consistent role in decisions about international peace and security.

Permanent members can also veto proposed resolutions, giving us an additional say.

In 1989, the UK voted with France to block a UN motion to condemn the USA for invading Panama.

Showing that we have influenced through the use of this veto power.

True or false? The UK's influence is limited by being a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is false.

This is because it actually expands its influence because we can veto things that we disagree on or can support decisions that help it.

Therefore, our place on the UN Security Council is important in terms of our influence.

The UK is also a founding member of NATO and one of three nuclear powers in the alliance.

The membership helps to maintain global military presence and taking part in NATO missions and exercises also supports this.

Being one of the three nations that holds nuclear powers and also having Trident, which is the at-sea nuclear deterrent, means that the UK has an important voice when it comes to having conversations about conflict and the role of NATO within this.

Although the UK can't use NATO to attack others, it's made safer by being part of NATO, this ensures the principle of collective defence and attack upon one is an attack upon all members.

The Commonwealth of Nations is an important way that the UK uses soft power globally.

The Commonwealth is an organisation that connects lots of countries through having a shared history, through having shared values and cultural ties.

The Commonwealth is really important in promoting democracy and human rights worldwide.

And as one of the key members of it, the UK still has an important role in this.

Events like the Commonwealth Games encourage cooperation and diplomacy through sports, alongside all of the other things that are outlined in the Commonwealth Charter.

Let's do another check.

Which event helps the UK's soft power through sport? Is it a, the Commonwealth Games, b, the Olympic Games, or c, the Invictus Games? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is, a, the Commonwealth Games.

Some people argue that the UK's influence has declined, despite our membership in international organisations.

In 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union, also called the EU.

This had been an important trading and political partner.

Leaving the EU meant changes, such as reduced access to EU trade deals and an end to free movement for UK citizens.

Some people believe that leaving the EU and ending that partnership has reduced the UK's influence in Europe.

However, others believe that it's given the UK more freedom to make its own decisions and build stronger ties with other countries, such as the United States of America.

True or false? Leaving the EU has had an impact on the UK's global influence.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is true.

Let's do another task to put this into practise.

I'd like you to think about Andeep's view and then give an argument both for and against the view.

Andeep's argued, "The UK is still an influential nation in the world today." Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I ask you to evaluate Andeep's view that the UK is still an influential nation in the world today.

You might have said, "The UK is still an influential country in the world.

Through its membership of international organisations like NATO and the UN, the UK is able to influence other nations.

For example, the UK is made safer by being in NATO, which ensures collective defence.

This helps deter other nations from attacking, even though the UK's military is smaller today.

This is an example of hard power.

The UK also uses the Commonwealth to build soft power influence over countries.

This promotes cooperation and builds strong international relationships." On the other side, you might have said, "However, it's clear that the UK's influence has declined in some ways.

Its military is much smaller than that of superpowers like the USA or Russia, which limits its ability to use hard power.

Also, since leaving the EU, the UK has lost trading opportunities and free movement.

This has affected its economy and may have reduced its soft power, especially in Europe.

Despite this, the UK continues to hold international influence through its military role and membership of global organisations.

Today, we have been learning about "Is the UK still an important international power?" We have learned that the UK, like many countries, uses foreign policy to influence other nations and shape global events.

Foreign policy aims can be achieved through hard power, which involves coercion via military or economic means, and soft power, which focuses on attraction and persuasion through culture, diplomacy and education.

While the UK's influence has changed in some areas, particularly its military power and the consequences of leaving the European Union, it continues to play a significant role globally.

Through organisations like NATO, the UN and the Commonwealth, the UK retains its international influence.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.