How American hegemony came about, its effects on the world, and how it now haunts its creators.

This book explores the closely related dynamics of globalization, hegemony and resistance movements in the modern world. Complimented by dramatic explorations of the new trans-border resistance movements, from the contemporary labor movement to the resurgence of nationalism, this book moves beyond the traditional focus on cycles of rise and decline of great powers to asses the pressing questions at the intersection of contemporary globalizations and hegemonic rise, decline and resurgence of civilizations. Moreover, the book provides a compelling analysis of the role of contemporary globalization in the resurgence of Islamic activism across the globe and the challenges this poses for traditional theories of modernity and global social movements. Contributors: Immanuel Wallerstein, Joachim Rennstich, William Robinson, Jeffrey Kentor, AMy Holmes, Kathleen Schwartzman, Edna Bonacich, Terry Boswell, Paul M. Lubeck & Thomas Reifer, Lauren Langman & Douglas Morris.

This title was first published in 2002. This innovative work analyses how the United States has laid down the foundations for global power. It reassesses and re-evaluates the declinist-renewal argument and challenges conventional balance of power theories, demonstrating how the United States is attempting to ’hegemonically globalise’ the entire international system. To evaluate the success of hegemonic globalisation, the book analyses four major powers and regions - Russia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the European Union (EU), and Japan - and their historical, political, economic, cultural and geopolitical relations with the United States. Each study examines the tangible and intangible sources of their relationship, and the possible tensions and resistance towards United States hegemony therein. Providing much-needed insight and a fresh perspective, this book makes a worthwhile contribution to our understanding of contemporary international power.

Hegemony and World Order explores a key question for our tumultuous times of multiple global crises. Does hegemony – that is, legitimated rule by dominant power – have a role in ordering world politics of the twenty-first century? If so, what form does that hegemony take: does it lie with a leading state or with some other force? How does contemporary world hegemony operate: what tools does it use and what outcomes does it bring? This volume addresses these questions by assembling perspectives from various regions across the world, including Canada, Central Asia, China, Europe, India, Russia and the USA. The contributions in this book span diverse theoretical perspectives from realism to postcolonialism, as well as multiple issue areas such as finance, the Internet, migration and warfare. By exploring the role of non-state actors, transnational networks, and norms, this collection covers various standpoints and moves beyond traditional concepts of state-based hierarches centred on material power. The result is a wealth of novel insights on today's changing dynamics of world politics. Hegemony and World Order is critical reading for policymakers and advanced students of International Relations, Global Governance, Development, and International Political Economy.

With the end of the 'East-West' conflict in 1990, an entirely new constellation seemed to emerge for the first time in the history of mankind. This was perceived by the power elite in the USA as a useful challenge to lend its - until then territorially restricted - hegemony a global dimension. From the perspective of the US elites (Francis Fukuyama), a period of indefinite American control over the rest of the world, in which there would be no more scope for potential rivals to emerge, would characterize the end of history. But some years later, the USA had to accept that the dual hegemony it had built up together with the Soviet Union was fundamental to the continued existence of American hegemony. Its inability to sustain a global hegemony revealed itself in the severe setbacks it suffered in the three wars waged in Iraq, Afghanistan and against the so-called international terrorists. Undeterred by the USA's imminent isolation, influential US experts insisted that US policies were still in line with the US' general perception of its role in the world: firstly to work for the good of the world and, secondly, to exercise its military might even when the rest of the world opposed it. Ignored for a long time by these very experts were the emergence of the interregional Asian triangle (China, India, Russia), Europe's reorientation and, in consequence, the USA's relegation as a hegemonic power.

Many policymakers, journalists, and scholars insist that U.S. hegemony is essential for warding off global chaos. Good-Bye Hegemony! argues that hegemony is a fiction propagated to support a large defense establishment, justify American claims to world leadership, and buttress the self-esteem of voters. It is also contrary to American interests and the global order. Simon Reich and Richard Ned Lebow argue that hegemony should instead find expression in agenda setting, economic custodianship, and the sponsorship of global initiatives. Today, these functions are diffused through the system, with European countries, China, and lesser powers making important contributions. In contrast, the United States has often been a source of political and economic instability. Rejecting the focus on power common to American realists and liberals, the authors offer a novel analysis of influence. In the process, they differentiate influence from power and power from material resources. Their analysis shows why the United States, the greatest power the world has ever seen, is increasingly incapable of translating its power into influence. Reich and Lebow use their analysis to formulate a more realistic place for America in world affairs.