Instigator / Pro
84
1378
rating
36
debates
38.89%
won
Topic
#1206

The United States is the Most Powerful Country in the World

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
36
0
Better sources
24
2
Better legibility
12
1
Better conduct
12
1

After 12 votes and with 80 points ahead, the winner is...

TheAtheist
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
5
Time for argument
One week
Max argument characters
10,000
Voting period
One month
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Con
4
1480
rating
2
debates
25.0%
won
Description

The United States is the mightiest country on Earth, as of now. If my opponent believes the opposite, he should select a country he thinks is more powerful and debate with me.

Please provide sources if you're going to include statistics.

Round 1
Pro
#1
I don't know what country my opponent will choose, so I'm just going to present some statistics for the United States. We can argue about them in the next round.

============

=Economy=

The United States is the world's largest economy by nominal Gross Domestic Product. The annual GDP for 2019 is estimated to be $21.3 trillion, which means America has a higher GDP than any other country on Earth. About 60% of all funds used in global trade are in U.S. Dollars. In many countries, the dollar is either the official currency or the de-facto currency, which gives the United States a lot of power over the economies of those countries [1]. 

The United States also houses many of the world's largest companies, such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Apple, Wells Fargo, Amazon, Microsoft, and countless others [2]. These companies posess a lot of influence internationally and thus make the United States even more powerful.

=Military=

The United States is widely considered to have the most powerful military in the world. As of 2018, the United States annual defense budget was $587 billion, which means it spends more on defense than any other country in the world. The United States spends more money on its military than China, Russia, India, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey, Germany, and Egypt combined [3].

The United States has 1.35 million active personnel and an additional 0.8 million in its seven reserve components. The United States Department of Defense is the largest employer in the world, meaning it hires more people than any other corporation or government agency. Roughly 120 million Americans, or about 30% of the population, are fit for military service. Overall, the United States has the third largest military in the world by personnel [4].

The United States has the largest air force in the world, with 13,762 aircraft. The United States also has the largest navy in the world, with a staggering total of 415 ships. Out of those 415 ships, 19 are aircraft carriers, meaning the U.S. has the most aircraft carriers in the world [3]. The United States has an inventory of 6,450 nuclear warheads. Only Russia has more nukes than the US, and the difference between the two countries is just forty nuclear weapons [5].

=Global Influence=

The United States is, hands down, the most influential country in the world. It has military bases all around the world, you can see which country has a U.S. military base in this map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_overseas_military_bases#/media/File:American_bases_worldwide.svg. All these overseas military bases make the United States a global powerhouse with soldiers all around the globe. 

The United States is a member of NATO, meaning that it has 28 other allies which will defend America if it is attacked. NATO is the largest military alliance in the world, and it consists of other powerful countries like Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and many others. If someone tries to attack the U.S., they won't stand a chance as nobody is strong enough to fight with all of NATO [6].

============

=Sources=


Con
#2
Forfeited
Round 2
Pro
#3
Below is a very insightful video that explains tons about America's role in geopolitics.


Con
#4
Forfeited
Round 3
Pro
#5
This is bad conduct!
Con
#6
Forfeited
Round 4
Pro
#7
Extend my arguments. 
Con
#8
Forfeited
Round 5
Pro
#9
RapidKnight got burned to crisps with my laser eyes.
Con
#10
Forfeited