Topic:
Is US hegemony in decline?
Introduction
It is no denying the fact that through out history US has adopted dual polices of idealism and
realism. The idealist and pessimistic policies are at the core of US administration at the
domestic and national level. However, using realist notion of military might and power at the
international and structural level has received much criticism from LDCS. The hegemonic
stability of US came a real success story after the downfall of the Soviet Union in1990s. after
this Francis Fukuyama came with his classic work of End of History. In this book he
envisaged that global ideological competition has ended now over which democracy and
capitalism triumphed over communism. However, this piece of work was fabricated and
funded by most f the US administration for their own political gains. With the passage of
time this work has proved short lived when US attacked Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the
writers argue that it was the sparked movement in the loss of hegemonic stability of the US
administration. While other favor various factors but it was a remarkable event which
heightened the decline of the US hegemony as this one was adopted unanimously by US
administration by finding no traces of nuclear weapons in Iraq. Besides these other values of
economic recession and US leadership crisis was followed by this event. This type of decline
happens because of the US driven foreign policy using realist and purely realist notions of
predicaments. This pessimistic move left US alone in the world events through the US
hegemonic position started decline. Nevertheless, in an anarchic nature of the international
system the hegemonic position will decline in near future because emergence of many actors
at the face of the world politics it is both systemic stimuli and national domestic factors.
Coercion-based hegemony (outside/out model)
In an anarchic international system where states resort on three essential Ss of realism such
as Self-help, Survival and statism provide a condition for an actor to adopt coercive policies.
The same can be applied to the US hegemonic position due to absence central authority the
US administration regarded themselves as the hegemonic power by threatening other states
using force. This is called coercion-based hegemony (outside/out model). In this condition
power is treated as external ownership of the hegemonic power as what practiced by UD by
adopting unanimous resolution to attach Iraq by using pre-emptive notion security concern.
In this model one state act as super hegemon by attacking other state with coercive polices.
But ultimately this notion of military power and security concern creates an environment of
chaos and violence. This ultimately result in the criticization of the hegemonic power as the
moves of US toward Iraq was criticized by most of the states including Europe as well. Thus,
it resultantly affected the hegemonic position of the US.
Consent-based hegemony (outside/in model)
Besides this consent-based hegemony indicates two sides of hegemony one is hegemonic
power and its effective use from top down. In this model power is substantially related to
consent, values, preferences beliefs, or identity. It means that hegemony is not only produced
through the military power but also on the ability put forward by the hegemonic state to
maintain the confidence of the actors through beliefs, tendencies ideas and values. Here it is
interesting to note that this type of hegemony of US is also on decline because most of the
people around the world resort to adopt the notion of populism and protectionist policies. A
stark example of this is the rise of China and other states. indeed, they bogged down the
values, perceptions, and beliefs of the hegemonic position of the US in contemporary times
which show that US hegemonic position is in decline.
Attraction- based hegemony (inside/out model)
To this end Attraction- based hegemony (inside/out model) posed a substantial and
fundamental difference to the previous one. This model is the clear manifestation of two
distant parties to hegemony where effective use hegemony by one party to another is used.
The significance of this model is that there exist no clear side. In this model hegemonic
position can be envisaged using societal values over the external environment that calls other
party to imitate its hegemonic position and values. In their efforts to influence global policy
structures, they employ a restorative strategy with their potential competitors. The European
Union is the most prominent example of this type of hegemony. But on the other side
resorting this model to US has failed to achieve a success story because of the failing
International financial and global institution due to the existence of structural inequalities in
it. This ultimately is one of the causes of the losing US hegemony in the long run.
The life-based hegemony (inside-in model).
However, the life-based hegemony (inside-in model) provide a decentralized and bad
governance model at internal level that govern human life at the national level. This type of
hegemony arouses from bottom to top level. It either influencing their valves and preferences
such as protectionist and American first policies of the US in Trumps era is a start example.
These policies were purely based on constructivist ideology of emphasizing that US will no
longer involved on world events. This has resulted into a series of consequences amongst one
important one is American losing hegemonic position. Now the current Biden administration
has realized that there is need a moderate shift from isolationism initiated by Trump toward
internationalism to actively involved in global events.
Anti-Americanism
Owing to the use of coercive force by the US administration has led to the metaphor of Anti-
Americanism across the world. By using the hatred across the world is a significant example
which show that US hegemonic position is in decline. This movement started in most of the
developing and Muslim world after the use of realistic policies of US toward the Muslim
countries. The response of Muslim countries in the shape of Anti-Americanism provided a
remarkable factor that US hegemony is in decline. Prior to this no state has been able to
oppose the policies of US. However, the use of force has a created a vacuum for criticism
from the Muslim and LDCS which depicted that US genomic position is no longer exist.
Economic recession in 2008
Indeed, the Economic recession in 2008 also emphasized that US hegemony is no longer
exist by controlling the global financial market. In 2008 economic recession occurred in
which most of the sates went bankrupt it also affect the US economic system. But the US
administration was unable to control this economic loss within and outside contours of
national boundary. By failing to stop the economic recession most of the sates across the
world weed out the neoliberal and globalization policies put forward by the puppet financial
institution of IMF, WB, and WTO. The reason for any state to remain hegemon they must
control all the economic countries and indicators in hand. But the US administration was
failed to stop this menace which is one of the basic causes in declining the hegemonic
position of the US. Besides, these factors there exist important factors at systemic and
national and individual level which has paved the way for declining US hegemonic position.
The crisis of the American leadership of the global system
At the national level due to political polarization and political instability provided basic
pertinent for leadership crisis in the US. These crises can be widely seen after the unanimous
decision taken by the US political milieu by adopting discretionary policies at the national
throughout the history. For instance, the black civil rights and black movement at the national
sparked the political polarization between black and white ethnicities. This demand for
power competition between them created political instability which ultimately resulted in the
downfall of US hegemonic position. The reason behind this that white never want the black
people to rule over them. Due to this cause people around the world stop adopting liberal
values of US. Thus, thwarting US liberal values to the dustbin of history provided a
conducive environment for declining US hegemonic position. Resultantly it has provided a
breeding environment for criticizing capitalist policies of the US.
The crisis of the structure of the global capitalist system
Most of the stats around the world are signatory to capitalist economic system of
neoliberalism and globalization but due to the discriminatory policies of US it is waning its
position at the global level. The capitalist policies making poorer more as it can be seen
through the world poverty level and food insecurity. In contemporary times almost 820
million people are food insecure. This food insecurity along occupy movement in 90s clearly
manifested that capitalist are only 1 % while the working class is almost 99%. This
movement envisaged that nation states no longer want to accept the capitalist policies which
is discriminatory toward LDCS. Nevertheless, it has created a type of resentment form LDCS
in the form of criticizing world financial institution run by the US administration.
The rise of BRICS and Asian development bank
Owing to the resentment of LDCS, they created Asian development bank and adopted own
currencies for world trade. The recent moves by China in promoting trade using its own
currency instead of dollar provided big blow to the financial structure of US. This has
resulted in the declining hegemonic status of US in the long run. Thus, the rise of BRICS at
the world politics level by criticizing the established financial institution of US under Bretton
Wood system such as IMF, WB, and WTO depicted that the US hegemonic position is in
decline in near future. Although these institutions have been established centuries before but
its downfall will take lesser time because of the increased technologies and scientific
development. Beside the rise of pandemics at the global level also manifested the inability of
US hegemonic position.
The rise of pandemics
The recent surge of covid -19 pandemic disease which is regarded as a death tool has intend
shifted US failure to control the disease immediately. Since the emergence of this pandemics
the world community stared arguing that democracies are unable to protect their citizen as do
the authoritarian states od Russia and China. This is an obvious example as China was quick
enough to control the further spread of pandemic. The same can be applied to Russia as well.
However, most of the democratic states around the world were unable to control the spread
of disease. This point is of crucial significance as democratic values aroused out from the US
a widely accepted norms across the world. Based on this observation weak ideological and
governmental influx of US provided a vacuum for criticism from LDCS. Therefore, a more
comprehensive and equality based systemic approach is needed from US to maintain it
hegemonic position, but the time has up now.
Recommendations
By devising a suitable policy recommendation to realist paradigms for US foreign policy is
difficult to gear up. But one thing is important that is US must transpire its realistic based
approach toward liberal internationalism in true sense. Besides this US should involve in
world events but not coercive manner but providing a conducive environment for
negotiations and mediation towards conflict ridden regions. Only then US could maintain it
hegemonic position otherwise it will be reduced to a state total failure in near future.
conclusion
To conclude, this essay has attributed some claims about the declining US hegemonic
position ranging from systemic, structure to national and individual level. Based on these
claims a model of hegemonic stability and instability provided factors of coercive and
realistic notion of security parameters which is the basic and fundamental reasons of
declining US hegemonic position. Besides these factors the economic recession, leadership
crisis, and identity crisis at national and domestic level provided a significant points of
declining US hegemonic stability and position. To this end a policy perspective foe US
administration is put forward of liberal internationalism by involving in world events in
moderate manner by solving world issues to maintain its hegemonic position.
References.
Ashraf Nussaiba, “Revisiting international relations legacy on hegemony: The decline of
American hegemony from comparative perspectives.” Review of Economics and Political
Science, 2020 pp-5-14.
Alexander Cooley and Danial H. Nexon, “How Hegemony Ends the Unraveling of American
Power.” Foreign affairs, 2020.
Carlos Eduardo Martins and Timothy Thompson, “The Impasses of U.S. Hegemony:
Perspectives for the Twenty-first Century.” Sage Publications, Inc, Vol. 34, No. 1,2007.
Christopher Layne, “The Waning of U. S. Hegemony—Myth or Reality? A Review Essay.”
International Security, Vol. 34, No. 1 2009.