US hegemonic power in decline
Course: International Relations
MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT
Essay topic: “Is the United States a hegemon in decline?”
Lecturer: Mrs. Vu Hai Hoa
Student: Nguyen Thuy Trang
ID No.: 1206080077
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The 21st century is still young, but it has already presented the United States with a series of internal and external challenges. Since the demise of USSR in 1991, the world changed from bipolar with two great powers to unipolar with the United States as an unchallenged superpower. From that point, the United States has long been accepted as a hegemon, the only predominant actor which has great political, social and economic influence in global affairs. However, recently, the world has witnessed the promptly rise of other new centers with significant powers such as China, Japan, and the European Union etc., which has actually challenged the hegemonic position of the United States in international system. In the 2011 summer issue of the journal of the American Academy of Political Science, we read that it is "a common theme" that the United States, which "only a few years ago was hailed to stride the world as a colossus with unparalleled power and unmatched appeal -- is in decline, ominously facing the prospect of its final decay." So, one question has been raised is whether the United States can retain its leading role or is a hegemon in decline. Much attention has been paid to this problem, some may argue that the country is still and always the most powerful and influential leader in the world. Or if there is any signal of going down, it’s unchangeable. This paper, however, is to provide an opposite idea that the United States is a hegemon in decline due to some major problems which are going to be discussed in the following parts.
The United States as a hegemon
The term “hegemony” is essentially synonymous with leadership. It derives from a Greek word (hegemonia) that translates simply as “dominance over”, or in another word, it
MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT
Essay topic: “Is the United States a hegemon in decline?”
Lecturer: Mrs. Vu Hai Hoa
Student: Nguyen Thuy Trang
ID No.: 1206080077
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The 21st century is still young, but it has already presented the United States with a series of internal and external challenges. Since the demise of USSR in 1991, the world changed from bipolar with two great powers to unipolar with the United States as an unchallenged superpower. From that point, the United States has long been accepted as a hegemon, the only predominant actor which has great political, social and economic influence in global affairs. However, recently, the world has witnessed the promptly rise of other new centers with significant powers such as China, Japan, and the European Union etc., which has actually challenged the hegemonic position of the United States in international system. In the 2011 summer issue of the journal of the American Academy of Political Science, we read that it is "a common theme" that the United States, which "only a few years ago was hailed to stride the world as a colossus with unparalleled power and unmatched appeal -- is in decline, ominously facing the prospect of its final decay." So, one question has been raised is whether the United States can retain its leading role or is a hegemon in decline. Much attention has been paid to this problem, some may argue that the country is still and always the most powerful and influential leader in the world. Or if there is any signal of going down, it’s unchangeable. This paper, however, is to provide an opposite idea that the United States is a hegemon in decline due to some major problems which are going to be discussed in the following parts.
The United States as a hegemon
The term “hegemony” is essentially synonymous with leadership. It derives from a Greek word (hegemonia) that translates simply as “dominance over”, or in another word, it