Third Power (Napoleon's World)

The Third Power refers to a debate during the Cold War about if and whether there could be a third superpower that rose to challenge the bipolar French and American geopolitical rivalry during much of the 20th and first decade of the 21st century. This was also sometimes known as the tripolar question in European circles.

The two most prominent countries mentioned as potential peer rivals to the superpowers were Russia and Japan, with the former specifically mentioned as a competitor to France in Europe and the latter as a rival to the US in the Pacific. In the 1990s, prior to the Asian Crisis, there was discussion of whether a rising China could eventually challenge not just Japan but the superpowers for supremacy. Cozy Russo-Japanese relations after decades of historic enmity in the late 20th century led to particular concern in the United States about a "Third Path" independent from NATO or the Versailles Pact. The Asian Crisis of 2002 largely ended the Third Power question until the European Spring itself ended the Cold War.