# Superpower **Superpower** denotes a state able to project decisive military, economic and cultural power globally rather than regionally. The term was defined by the bipolar Cold War order of the United States and the [[Soviet Union]], and its usefulness since 1991 has been contested — the argument being whether the United States occupied a unipolar position, and whether the current period is better described as multipolar or as something without a settled name. ## See Also - [[Soviet Union]] - [[Russia]] - [[China]]