Is 'force to be reckoned with' a prerequisite for modern-country status? I can think of plenty of countries that I consider modern that cannot change the cours

Is 'force to be reckoned with' a prerequisite for modern-country status? I can think of plenty of countries that I consider modern that cannot change the course of global events by force, but do so by example. Here in Seattle, USA, the way we teach our children mathematics may yet be altered by ideas from Singapore, a modern country.