The United States of America: a Superpower

The United States of America: a superpower?

- Tintin in America -What shows that this is a rich country (natural strong points)?

- Tintin in America -What shows that this is a rich country (natural strong points)?

- Tintin in America -What shows that it was a wild country

and that it has quickly become a modern country?

- Tintin in America -What shows that it was a wild country

and that it has quickly become a modern country?

1) Political influence all over the world Economic flows 1 - The main investments the other poles of the Triad, Japan and Western Europe. 2 – The secondary investments South-East Asia, Oceania and South America. Political influence 3 – The presence of the US fleets all over the world to support allies (such as Japan, Saudi Arabia) or to protect US interests (petroleum roads through the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea, US imports from Asia). This global policy was thought to protect US interests and to maintain US way of life. It makes the USA the biggest power in the world, with the US troops on many battlefields (Iraq, Afghanistan...).

3) One step forward: the space Q. 7 – To what famous July 1969 photograph does this cover refer?This cover refers to the conquest of the Moon by Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins in July 1969. For the first time in History, someone walked on the moon. When Eagle (lunar module), from mission Apollo 11, has landed on plain, Armstrong said: “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Q. 8 – Why was the space race such an important stake during the Cold War?Because it prevailed from the rank of number one power in the world. The control of space was also a military side of the control of the world (satellites, spying). Q. 9 – Why can you say that the United States has ambitious and expansionist aims?Today, the ambition is to conquer Mars. Because of the crisis, the NASA has re-considered its plans: the probabilities to go on Mars are now reduced.

- The NASA -

Atlantis shuttle and crew on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2009

The example of the conquest of Space proves that the United States of America wants to be number 1 for innovations and performances. The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is leading the space conquest, such as many other national brands in many sectors (Internet, PCs...). Because of the international crisis, these programs are, for the moment, removed to the background. The USA is also part of many international organizations (G-20, NATO, UN...). It means that it is a superpower on economic and politic levels. In 2008 and 2009, the G-20 countries often met to try to find solutions to stop the crisis. The G-20 is the “Group of Twenty” rich countries. It was established in 1999 to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.

NAFTA)

Est. in 1994.

Created a trilateral trade bloc between Mexico, the USA and Canada.

This trade block is the largest in the world in terms of combined purchasing power parity GDP.

The NAFTA SuperCorridor,a combination of road, rail, ports andairports.

The North American

Free Trade Agreement

(NAFTA)

NAFTA, an imbalanced agreement?

1 - Who are the people on this caricature? 2 - Why does it show that NAFTA is seen as an imbalanced agreement?

Big cities organisation: Los Angeles

From downtown…

…to the suburbs

Traffic!

description kind of activities

Sense of migrations

1 – What are the two main attractive regions?2 – Where do these migrants come from?

Economical sectors

Agriculture Industry Tourism

Places

Localization on the map

Explanation

Other places/other natural strong points

South of the country (tropical weather)

North-East (historical industrial centre), North-West (Boeing)

Seacoasts, Natural Parks, South of the country (sun)

Natural and industrial strong points of the USA (part II B)

- The Great Plains -location

and extensive farming- highly irrigated fields

- ranching

- Industrial power -

Microsoft tries to compete with Google with its new Internet search engine, named Bing.

Will Microsoft win this new challenge?

Research and Developement successGoogle and Microsoft are sponsoring the Simpsons!

In 2009, the Federal Budget for R&D was $151-billion, the most expansive ever.

It proves the importance of this economical sector in the USA.

I am so powerful

that he can’t compete!

US TV series: welcome to American life!

You can share the life of Desperate Houswives on Wisteria Lane, Fairview…

You can share the CSI’s of police officers in Las Vegas, Miami or New York…

Every week on French

TV!

You can share an appartment with Friends in New York…

The movies industry: billions of $ of gross revenues

1.8-billion for Titanic, 1-billion for Pirates of the Caribbean… How much for 2012: Doomsday?

BOX OFFICE

Counterculture or business plan?

By-product from South ParkKenny is really alive for businessmen!

Michael Moore’s famous movie Fahrenheit 9/11

Budget $6-billion Gross revenue $223-billion!

The end of racism in the USA with Barack Obama?

After Obama’s election

(left) and during

Obama’s campaign for Health care plan

(right)

The multicultural model is still

working

Sonia Sotomayor, a Hispanic American woman born in the Bronx in New York, is the Court’s 111th justice, and 3rd female.

She was nominated in August 2009.

She is now working in the Supreme Court in Washington, the most important justice Court in the USA.

New superpowers?New competitors?

Russia was one of the biggest powers in the past. Poutine wants for his country to be one of the leaders again in the future. Its strong points: natural resources (natural gas, oil…).

Poutine and Bushcontrolling the world

China is considered as the workshop of the world, and already sells many products on the USA territory.